How To Say Goodbye
by EverAfterWritings
Summary: Twenty-three years after the Hidden World was discovered, Astrid is working on a very special dress with her daughter, Zephyr. Astrid and her husband, Hiccup, tell their children about all that happened after they defeated Grimmel and said goodbye to their dragons. HTTYD 3 Hidden World Spoilers! Rated T for scenes involving miscarriage, birth, rape, and light sexual content.
1. How to Propose

How to Tell a Story

It had been almost twenty-five years since the battle with Grimmel. Twenty-three years without dragons. Some of the young vikings in town thought they were just legend, but us Berkians, we knew the truth. Especially my husband, the chief. His best friend had been a dragon. I sighed, remembering my girl, Stormfly. I quickly pushed the thoughts away and focused on the white fabric in my hands. "Zephyr, baby, come let me hold this up to you," I said, tucking a strand of gray hair behind my ears, but not to worry, I still had some blonde hidden in the gray streaks.

My daughter stood from her position on the floor and stepped forward so I could hold the top of the dress against her. She had been working on detailing the skirt.

"Do you think Spikelout will like it?" she asked nervously.

"Baby, he is going to fall over when he sees you in this wedding gown," I reassured her. She laughed and twirled the end of her auburn braid with her fingers before sitting back on the floor to finish the skirt.

Yes, my daughter, Zephyr Haddock, was marrying a Jorgenson. Snotlout had actually married a wonderful woman named Willow. Spikelout was basically the opposite of his father. Spike was an intelligent, caring, gentlemanly, viking. He was also more attractive than his father, he got it from his beautiful mother. If you had told me twenty years ago that my newborn baby girl would one day marry the offspring of Snotlout, I would have slapped some sense into you. And yet here we were, sewing the wedding dress that she would be wearing at her wedding in three weeks time. There she would become Zephyr Jorgenson.

"Mom, can you tell me more stories about you and dad? The last one you told me was about how you guys defeated Grimmel. What happened after the dragons left?" Zephyr asked.

I sighed, "Well, baby, after they left it was hard for us vikings. We had learned to be dependant on our dragons. We managed to learn our old skills like fishing and hunting, but we really just missed having our best friends around. Especially your father…"

**_*Twenty-three years earlier*_**

I watched as my boyfriend said goodbye to his best friend. It was then I realized I had to say goodbye to my best friend. Tears filled my eyes as I gave Stormfly one last scratch in her favorite spot before taking her saddle off. The tears fell unashamed down my face as every other Berkian did the same. Fishlegs gently placed the baby in Meatlug's mouth before all the dragons took off and followed their new king and queen, Toothless and the Light Fury.

As we watched the dragons fly into the sunset, I placed my hand on Hiccup's shoulder, letting him know I was there if he needed me. The other vikings went to their houses, but Hiccup didn't budge, even after we could no longer see the dragons.

"Babe, it is getting cold out. Do you want to go inside?" I asked softly. Hiccup did not respond. I sighed and got two blankets out of my saddle bag. It felt so strange to have my saddle on the ground, and not on a dragon. We were all going to miss the dragons, but Hiccup…. He was going to take it the hardest. I glanced back at my boyfriend as I unfolded the blankets. His face was tear-stained and his eyes looked as if he could start crying again at any moment. He had not spoken a word since the dragons had left.

I walked back over to the young chief and draped one of the blankets across his shoulders, sitting down next to him with my own blanket.

"Hiccup, you did the right thing. That is the only place they are safe," I whispered, gently running my fingers through his auburn hair and resting my head on his shoulder.

He did not answer. He just ever so slightly nodded and wrapped one arm around my waist. I knew this would take time, but I was still worried about him.

I absolutely hated seeing the man I loved like this. His usually bright and shining eyes had glazed over and were dull and slightly bloodshot from the tears. He has several new cuts and bruises from the battle that had taken place earlier that day. My hand slowly went up to a cut on his neck, causing him to wince. I sighed, knowing he would not let me touch it. I just settled with sitting next to him, hoping that was enough help.

The stars and the moon had come out without my noticing. I always loved stargazing, especially with Hiccup. However, I knew that night time was going to be difficult for my boyfriend for a while because it would just remind him of his beloved Night Fury.

Suddenly, Hiccup sat up a little straighter and looked over at me. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"What is it?" I asked, relieved that he actually wanted to say something.

Hiccup took a deep breath, then shocked me when he said, "Let's get married, Astrid."

My mouth had dropped open slightly, but I quickly shut it as soon as I had processed what he had just said.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"When Berk needed a chief, I filled the role. But it is a lot to handle, my dad always told me that any good chief had a great chieftess. Right now that role is empty. I want you to fill that role," he said.

"Hiccup what exactly are you saying?" I asked.

He sighed and rubbed his hand on his neck, a cute little thing he does when he is nervous. "I am trying to ask if you'll marry me…"

My eyebrows scrunched together. "So you just want me to marry you because you think it is what's best for Berk?" I asked. The way he had said those things made it sound almost like marrying me would be a chore, like something he did not want to do.

"What? No, babe, I want to marry you because I love you. We are basically running this tribe as husband and wife. Why don't we make it official? I promise this isn't just some task or chore. I truly want to marry you, Astrid. I love you," He said, taking one of my hands in one of his and sweeping a stray curl behind my ear.

He still looked sad, but there was a glint of something in his eyes. Fear? No… Love? Maybe… I looked up at him and realized he was so nervous he was shaking. I chuckled softly.

"I love you too. Yes, I will marry you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," I said, before pressing my lips to his.

Suddenly his arms were around me and he was kissing me in return. I could feel his body relaxing a little, the first time all day probably. It had been a very tense day. When we finally broke apart, Hiccup just rested his head on my shoulder. We sat that way for the rest of the night, falling asleep under the stars.


	2. How to Marry Your True Love

How to Marry Your True Love

Several months later, the big day was finally here. The weather was warm, the sun was out, my dress was the worst to put on, what could be better? Ruffnut and Heather eventually helped me with my dress. They kept commenting on how beautiful I looked as they did up the buttons and brushed my hair. My dress was white with long sleeves that were fitted against my arms. The skirt portion flowed out around my feet, making it easy to walk in. Heck, I could even have flown on Stormfly in this. The only slight issue with the dress was that it was extremely tight around my middle. Apparently, the seamstresses on Berk had wanted to slim my already thin figure even more.

Thinking of the dragons saddened me. Toothless would have been Hiccup's best man, if the dragons had still been around. Instead, Dagur was Hiccup's best man and Heather was my maid of honor. Ruffnut was another one of my bride's maids and Fishlegs was to stand next to Dagur.

Valka walked into the room and I turned around to look at her.

"Oh!" she gasped and put her hands over her mouth. She held her arms out to me.

"Astrid you are the most beautiful bride. My son won't know what hit him," she giggled as I hugged her. I felt two tears splash on my shoulder and I pulled back to check on her.

"Oh don't worry dear. It's a mother's job to cry when her child gets married. I am just so glad he found somebody like you," she said softly as she quickly wiped her eyes.

I smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Valka," I whispered, "Hiccup is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Valka smiled and hugged me again. "Well, are you ready to marry the chief of Berk?" she asked.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No," I said. All three of the women looked at me in shock. I laughed at their expressions before saying, "I am ready to marry Hiccup. He may be the chief, but it is Hiccup I am marrying." They all smiled and looked relieved.

Gobber knocked on the door and told us everyone was ready. Then in what felt like seconds, I was walking down the aisle, my Hiccup at the end. Gothi performed the ceremony. Everything was beautiful, and let me tell you, I have never been more in love with the man who stood before me.

He had changed so much in just six years. I mean, I bet all of us have changed, but nothing nearly as drastic as Hiccup. When he turned eighteen his face lost the baby fat and became smoother. I had convinced him to grow his hair a little longer. He had also gotten taller. That had been something that I was not expecting. But aside from the physical changes, he had become more confident, surer of himself. He had become the leader that the vikings of Berk had needed. He had led the dragon riders on Dragon's Edge for several years, and now he had led the entire tribe with grace, confidence, and wisdom. I could not have been more proud of this boy who had grown up to become an amazing man.

Our wedding day was a blur of people congratulating us, people toasting us, and eating far too much delicious food. By the end of the day, Hiccup and I were exhausted. My husband carried me through the front door, because he is a hopeless romantic, and then we both went upstairs to our bedroom. Hiccup flopped back onto our bed, yawning as he did so. I soon joined him, still in my bridal dress. It was beautiful, but not the best when it came to the whole "being comfortable" thing. I sat up with a groan.

"Hiccup, I think my dress is attempting to suffocate me," I groaned.

Hiccup chuckled and jumped into action. He started unbuttoning the buttons that went all the way down the back of my dress. I let a sigh of relief escape my lips as the tight dress fell around my waist while I sat on the bed. Getting it all the way off wasn't that difficult. I made sure to fold it neatly and place it in the trunk at the end of our bed for safe keeping. That's when I felt eyes on me. Turning my head slightly, I glanced back at my husband. His eyes were wide and he was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, laughing at his "fish-like" face. I looked down at myself and realized I was only wearing my breast bindings and my leggings.

"Oh you don't have to stare Hiccup," I giggled and walked over to him and sat down in his lap, taking his face between my hands and kissing him deeply. He rested his hands on my hips and…"

_*present*_

"Mom, I don't need to know about how I was conceived, okay? Just skip that." Zephyr interrupted me.

"Oh, you think that was when you were conceived? Well, you have misunderstood sweetheart. You weren't conceived for another two years," I told her, laughing at her surprised expression.

"Do the math, babe. Your father and I have been married for twenty-three years, you are only twenty," I reminded gently. She giggled when she realized and went back to sewing.

"Okay just skip the whole bedroom scene. I don't want to hear that," she said, pausing her stitching to look up at me.

Smiling at her, I started to say, "Zephyr, a man and a woman together like that is a beautiful thing. It shouldn't be taboo. After all, you and Spikelout…."

"Mom!"

I laughed and sighed, "Okay I'll stop teasing. So the next morning…."


	3. How to Make Breakfast With Your Husband

How To Make Breakfast With Your Husband

The morning after my wedding night felt surreal. I woke up in the arms of my husband, the light from the sun shining through our windows. From the sun's positioning, I guessed it to be a little before noon. Glancing back at my husband's face made me giggle. His eyes were shut peacefully, his hair was still a mess from the previous night, his lips looked soft and just perfect in the morning light. I couldn't resist leaning in to kiss him. He woke up and kissed me back, once he realized what was going on.

Both of us didn't have a stitch of clothes on our bodies, but we couldn't have cared less. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body close to him, burying his face in my neck, just above my chest. My fingers went to his hair and my other hand gently rubbed his bare back, feeling the scars that covered it. Most of his scars were from forge accidents with Gobber. Hiccup would often take his tunic off at work and just wear his pants, but that left his back and chest open for metal to scrape and fire to burn. Personally, I loved his scars. They showed what a hard worker he was. I admired him for it.

"Goodmorning milady…" he sighed heavily against my skin.

"Goodmorning, love…" I whispered in response.

We just laid there, holding each other close. After several minutes we both decided we had to get up and make breakfast. I put on my fur robe and Hiccup just put on his pants. We walked downstairs to the kitchen together. Hiccup stretched his arms and looked out the window in our kitchen. He sighed, looking out over Berk.

"Will they survive without you for a day?" I asked as I started to light the fire in the stove.

He chuckled, "Yeah Gobber and Fishlegs are in charge today and tomorrow. That way we get some time to ourselves."

Hiccup walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle, pulling me close to him. I giggled and mentioned something about burning the eggs, but that just made him start kissing my neck.

"Hiccup my legs are going to give out if you keep doing that," I said softly. Hiccup didn't make any move to stop, but thankfully there was a knock on the door.

Hiccup groaned and called out, "Gobber and Fishlegs are in charge today!"

The knocking continued. My husband grumbled as he walked to the door and opened it.

"What?" he said before looking up to see it was his mom.

"Oh hi, mom. What can I do for you?" he asked. By now I had tightened my robe and was standing beside HIccup.

"Goodmorning son, I was just going to bring by some of Meredith's milk for your breakfast," she said. Meredith was Valka's yak. The two absolutely adored each other.

"Awe that was so thoughtful. Thank you Valka," I said, taking the jar. Hiccup was saying goodbye and was about to shut the door but then the twins came up behind Valka. Valka said goodbye and began walking toward the village.

"What do you two want?" Hiccup asked Ruff and Tuff.

"Chicken is gone!" Tuff practically yelled. I laughed but quickly resumed my serious look when I realized how distraught Tuffnut was.

"Okay, well where did you last see him?" I asked. I looked over the twins' shoulders and saw a few other villagers coming up the walkway to our hilltop house. Hiccup saw them too because he interrupted Tuffnut and yelled "Okay I got married yesterday, guys! Astrid and I are staying in today and Gobber and Fishlegs are in charge! Go bother them."

Then he shut the door and locked it. His outburst had been quite humorous and made me laugh. Hiccup smiled and groaned, sitting down in his chair at the table.

"So much for a quiet morning to ourselves, huh?" he asked.

"Well, we are alone now…" I said, walking over to sit in his lap. Hiccup untied my robe and started kissing my chest. We would have kept going, if it the smell of burning eggs hadn't started filling our house. Hiccup and I both jumped up and ran to the stove, laughing the entire time.

*present*

Zephyr was laughing so hard she had to put her needle and thread down.

"You and dad really don't ever have a moment to yourselves anymore," she laughed.

"Yes, we have to work hard to get alone time. Thankfully, you and Spike won't have to worry too much about that. You two won't have any chief duties over your heads. No, that is all for your brother," I said, stitching up the neckline of the dress.

"I think Nuffink will enjoy it though," Zephyr mused as she went back to work on the hemline.

"I think so too," I responded.

"So what is the next big thing that happened?" Zephyr asked.

"Well, not quite a year had passed after our wedding when a horrible sickness struck Berk. That was one of the hardest winters we have ever gone through as a tribe…"


	4. How to Cure The Quakes

How To Cure The Quakes

*twenty-two years earlier*

"The count is up to ten. Ten vikings, Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled, slamming his fist on the table in the great hall.

"I know, I know, Snotlout. Just let me think. Maybe there is something in the dragon eye or the book of dragons? Has anybody contacted Gothi?" Hiccup asked, his hand going to the back of his neck again.

"What good would the dragon eye and the book of dragons do us if the dragons are all gone?" Ruffnut said from her chair at the far end of the table next to her brother.

"Maybe there is a cure mentioned in them, Ruff," I said, placing my head in my hands. I hadn't been feeling well as of late either, but I wasn't going to worry Hiccup.

"Okay, guys, real question time. Can chickens catch this disease? I need to know for personal reasons," Tuff said. He picked up his beloved pet chicken and stroked its feathers. Everyone ignored his question, including Ruffnut.

"Okay, Fishlegs and Heather, you two look through the dragon eye and the book of dragons. Twins, you both go find Gothi and bring her back here. Astrid and I will go and check on the villagers who are ill. Snotlout, you can go be with your wife and son," Hiccup instructed.

Both Willow and the baby Spikelout had contracted the disease that we were calling the Quakes. The disease caused the victims to get a fever so high they would shiver and quake violently. So far ten vikings had moved on to Odin's gates because of this new illness.

Everyone set to work on what Hiccup had told them to do.

Dagur walked over to us. "Hey, brother, what would you like me to do?" he asked.

"Can you run everything that doesn't have to do with the Quakes today? I need to put all my focus on the sick vikings," Hiccup explained. Dagur was his second in command.

"Sure thing, Chief!" Dagur said, walking out toward the docks to check on the fish inventory of the day.

Hiccup and I walked to the infirmary hand in hand. Valka and Gobber were hard at work there. Eret was there as well, helping as best as he could.

"Mom, how are they?" Hiccup asked as soon as he saw Valka.

She frowned and stood, walking away from the patient she had been attending. "It isn't looking good, son…" she whispered.

"I have Heather and Fishlegs searching the dragon eye and the book of dragons. And the twins are out searching for Gothi," the young chief said as reassuringly as he could. I could tell he was scared, so I slipped my hand into his to give him at least a little comfort. He squeezed my hand tight.

Gobber walked over and started a conversation with Hiccup and Valka. I didn't hear it though. Everything started to become blurry and I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead. "H-hiccup…" I whispered. I saw him look back at me, fear in his eyes as I blacked out.

The next thing I remember was waking up in an infirmary bed, with nothing on but a pair of underwear and my chest bindings. A thin sheet was over me and somebody was wiping my forehead with a cold rag. Cold… no, no more cold. I was already freezing. I groaned and started to shiver violently, attempting to hit the rag away so that it wouldn't add any more cold. Slowly my eyes cleared and I could tell that Valka had been the one who put the rag on my forehead. My hand was being held by somebody else's, I noticed. I glanced to the other side of me and saw my husband holding my hand between both of his. He looked like he hadn't slept for days.

"''Hiccup…" I groaned, my voice raspy and dry. My body continued to shake.

"You'll be okay. Don't worry. The twins found Gothi and she is helping Heather and Fishlegs. They'll find a cure," he said, almost like he was reassuring himself. My eyes couldn't stay open any longer. I was consumed by darkness, once again.

*present*

"Well, how did they cure you, mom?" Zephyr asked. The dress had been set aside because according to her, the story was far too interesting at the moment to be distracted by a dress.

"I was out for the majority of the time they were searching. Gothi had never seen anything like it before, but Fishlegs found something in the dragon eye. He had the grand idea to see if those glowing vine flowers by the cove would activate the dragon eye. The glow from the flowers allowed them to discover that there is a whole part of the dragon eye we had not seen yet. There are notes for medicinal plants. They found one that could cure The Quakes. Actually, it was one of those pale blue flowers you used to pick when you were young. We had always thought those were just there to be pretty, but they do serve a purpose. Everyone was able to be cured. No more vikings were lost," I explained.

"If Spike and I were in a situation like that, I would be so scared of losing him," she said softly.

"You're father was probably the most scared he has ever been. Or at least that is what he has told me," I said.

"Tell me more mom," my daughter said enthusiastically.

"Once everyone who had fallen ill had taken some of the medicine made from the flowers, they were all able to go home…"


	5. How to Keep a Secret

How to Keep a Secret… When You Probably Shouldn't

"Really, Hiccup, I am fine. I can walk upstairs by myself. You don't have to carry me," I said, my arms around his neck as he took shaky steps up the stairs to our bedroom.

"No, mom said nothing but rest for you for at least a week," he reminded me.

"But Hiccup, I hate being stuck inside like this! Can I at least sit outside? I promise I'll just sit!" I pleaded.

The chief shook his head. "No. Sorry, babe, but you are staying inside. Maybe I am being paranoid, but I would much rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough and risk you falling ill again.

I groaned in frustration. Being stuck inside was not something I enjoyed, but I also did not enjoy it when Hiccup worried about me.

"Two days. I will stay here for two days, no more than that. Then I will be going to the cove to practice throwing my ax so that I can kill you later," I told him.

"As you wish milady!" Hiccup said happily, glad he had somewhat won that argument.

My loving husband tucked me into bed and kissed my cheek. He moved to leave the room, but I grabbed his arm.

"Stay with me?" I asked quietly. Hiccup smiled and got in bed next to me, holding me in his arms. I had missed being this close to him. I felt something wet at the top of my head and looked up to see my husband quickly wiping his eyes.

"Hiccup…" I whispered, cupping his face with my hand.

"Sorry, Astrid. I just thought I was going to lose you. You were so sick and you wouldn't wake up. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life, and I have faced some terrifying dragons before..." He sniffed and wiped his eyes again.

Tilting my head up a little, I gently pressed my lips to his. We both relaxed into the kiss, our bodies melting together. He rested one hand on my waist and the other was tracing shapes on the bare skin of my back. We hadn't been this close since before I had gotten sick and we both had really missed it. Hiccup sighed and rested his head on my chest. I just breathed in the smell of his hair. It was just so I don't know, Hiccupy. It made me want to be closer to him.

"Astrid…" he whispered. I looked down at him and saw his eyes had darkened with lust.

_"Mom, I do not want to hear this. I'll go make us some lunch," Zephyr said as she got up and went to the kitchen._

_I laughed. Soon Zephyr came back with lunch._

_"I am going to skip what happened next, just for you, baby." I chuckled as Zephyr looked up from the plate of sandwiches she was carrying, relief in her eyes._

Almost an hour later we were cuddling, holding each other as close as we could. Little did we know that together we had just made something that would change our lives forever.

_*present day*_

After a delicious lunch of mutton sandwiches, Zephyr and I were back to working on the dress. I began the sleeves while the bride to be worked on the waist.

"So, that was when I was made?" she asked.

"Darling I wish it had been you. Sadly, it was not," I said. My heart hurt from the memories.

"Mom, what do you mean? I am the oldest Haddock child," Zephyr said, a look of confusion on her face.

"Well yes, baby, but you had an older sibling…" I said quietly.

Zephyr's eyes softened. "W-what happened to it, mom?" She asked worriedly.

_*twenty-two years earlier*_

Two days of bedrest really did the trick. By the next week, I was out and about as if I had never been sick. A week after the day Hiccup and I had had sex, Heather and I were in the market. I was shopping for some grains and yak chops for dinner. We walked past the eel stand and the strangest thing happened. My stomach churned and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. The smell of the eels was nauseating.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Heather asked worriedly.

I looked around frantically for a place out of sight. There was a small hut next to me with a bush beside it. It was hidden from view. I quickly ran over to it before emptying the contents of my stomach. Heather was immediately by my side and held my hair up, rubbing my back soothingly. When I finished throwing up, she helped me walk to the stream behind the market to clean myself up. She pulled a rag from her basket and soaked it with stream water before gently holding it to my face to cool me off.

"Thanks, Heather," I said weakly.

She nodded. "Of course, Astrid. But, what made you sick?"

I had been hoping she wouldn't ask. Looking down at my boots I quietly said, "the smell of the eel stand…"

Heather's eyes widened. "Why on earth did that make you sick? We walk past that stand every day. I am going to go get Hiccup. You might be sick again." she turned to go but I grabbed her arm.

"Don't get Hiccup," I said quickly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Heather asked.

I sighed and put my face in my hands. "I think I am pregnant," I whispered. Heather gasped in delight.

"Oh, my gods! That is so great, Astrid! How long? When is the baby due? Wait, why don't you want to tell Hiccup?" she asked.

I laughed. "Heather you said all that in about two seconds. Slow down. I don't want Hiccup to worry," I explained.

"Well you will have to tell him eventually," she said.

My eyes went back down to my boots. I knew this, but what I did not know was how I was going to tell him. Hiccup would be beyond excited, that was for sure, but it would still be a conversation that needed planning. Heather and I went back to our shopping. There were a few more nausea scares, but nothing like the first time. She walked me back home when we were done.

"Tell Hiccup," she said gently, "he will be so excited Astrid!"

I nodded and said goodbye.

It had been almost two months. Two whole months and I hadn't told Hiccup yet. In all honesty, I was scared. If I told him, it would be real. I didn't think I was ready to be a mom yet. But I knew I had to tell him soon. I was sick a lot and he was starting to get suspicious, plus my middle had started to become a little more rounded.

I was sitting outside, planting flowers in front of our house with Fishlegs when the pain started. It wasn't too bad at first, just like the cramps that came with my cycle.

Eventually, they began growing more intense. I groaned and placed my hand over my belly with one particularly painful one. I didn't even think something could be wrong until Fishlegs looked up, panic in his eyes.

"Uh Astrid did you just start your cycle or…" he said in his high-pitched worry voice.

I looked down and noticed that my leggings were red with blood. That's when another wave a pain crashed over me. I nearly screamed, causing Fishlegs to rush over to me.

"Fishlegs," I groaned, "I am pregnant. G-get Valka and Hiccup. Please."

Fishlegs helped me stand up and took me to the front door before running off screaming for Hiccup and Valka. It took me several minutes to get inside because of how quickly the waves of pain were coming. Once I got inside my legs gave out and I fell to my knees, too weak to walk.

"Astrid!" I heard Hiccup yell behind me. He ran to me and picked me up gently. I was too weak to say anything I just looked up at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered.

"There will be time for that later, for now, we need to just get prepared for a lot of blood," Valka said, quickly getting whatever towels and rags she could get her hands on. Hiccup carried me to our room and Valka laid towels across our bed before he put me down.

All I remember is the pain. Crazy pain. Like cycle cramps times ten. I vaguely remember Hiccup letting me squeeze his hand and sitting behind me in the bed, letting me lean back on him. Valka had removed my leggings and was removing anything that passed through, so mostly just blood.

When it was all over, I was incredibly weak from the loss of blood and from the pain I had endured. Hiccup was holding me close. It took a few minutes for me to realize what had happened. When I did though, I started sobbing into Hiccups chest. He held me close, not saying anything, just being there for me. I could tell he was crying too. Valka cleaned everything up for us, which Hiccup thanked her for. She said she'd be by the next morning to check on me.

After she left it was quiet except for the soft sounds of the two of us crying. Hiccup sniffed and pulled back a little so he could see my face. He gently placed his hands on either side of my face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, his voice hoarse from crying.

"I don't know. I am so sorry, Hiccup. I just didn't know how to tell you," I said.

"Astrid you have to tell me stuff like this," he started, but I didn't let him finish.

"I know, babe. I promise I will tell you next time, okay? I am so sorry." I started crying again.

He sighed and held me close to him again, stroking my hair. "It's okay. We'll be okay…" he whispered soothingly. We stayed there for the rest of the day, not bothering to make dinner.

While he was holding me, I couldn't help but wonder what I had done wrong.

_*present*_

My eyes were tearing up, and so were Zephyr's. "Mom, I had no idea…" she whispered.

I nodded, "I know, but I figured you were old enough to know now."

My sweet daughter got up and hugged me. I sighed, enjoying the feeling of holding my daughter in my arms. I didn't get to do that as often as I used to.

"Was I after that?" She asked curiously.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes, baby. You were after that, but almost a year later. Fishlegs and Heather got married and had Mila, their daughter."

Zephyr smiled when she heard her best friend's name.

"And after Fishlegs and Heather had Mila, your father and I found out we were going to be having you…"

_*twenty-one years earlier*_

"Are you feeling any better, milady?" Hiccup asked as he brought me a cup of water.

"I'm okay. I mean, throwing up whenever I smell fish is not fun," I groaned, standing up and letting Hiccup lead me inside.

"I feel fine now, babe," I said, "you should go back to work."

"But what if something happens to you?" he asked.

I laughed, "Hiccup nothing will happen. This time feels different from the last one. I'll be fine. And if something happens, I will let somebody know to get you."

The young chief smiled and stepped forward, pulling his wife into a deep kiss before turning to walk to the forge. Checking on Gobber was first on his to-do list.

_*present*_

"What are my two beautiful ladies up to?" Hiccup said as he walked into the house. His beard had grayed before his hair, and his limp from the prosthetic had gotten slightly worse as he had gotten older, but other than that he was still the same Hiccup I had fallen in love with when we were teenagers.

I smiled at him and he leaned over the back of my chair to kiss me. Nuffink walked in behind him. My son had grown to be a wonderful young man. He had been working through chief training with his father, now that he was eighteen. Nuffink looked like a perfect mix of both me and my husband. He had a messy mop of blond hair and his fathers shining green eyes. He has that same goofy grin Hiccup has and I absolutely adore it.

"Hi, baby. How was training?" I asked, reaching out for my son.

"Hi, mom. It was great today! I learned how to organize the fields with Grandma and Uncle Eret taught me how to work with the fishing boats and their crews," he said enthusiastically. He hugged me and went to sit next to Zephyr.

"Dad, we are almost done with my dress! Isn't it beautiful?" Zephyr asked, her blue eyes beaming up at her father. Hiccup and Nuffink were close, but Zephyr had a one of a kind relationship with her father. They were two peas in a pod.

"It is beautiful. You are going to look like a princess in this dress," Hiccup said, kissing Zephyr's cheek. She smiled and went back to work, adding more detail to the waistline.

"Mom has been telling me stories all day," Zephyr said.

"Oh, has she now?" Hiccup chuckled, "What stories?"

"She was just about to tell me about when she was pregnant with me. She said you hated leaving her alone here," Zephyr said.

"How about you take a turn, babe. I am going to start dinner. Nuffink, why don't you help me," I said.

"Okay, but fair warning, I am a much better storyteller than your mom," Hiccup whispered.

I laughed, "I heard that!"

Hiccup laughed as well. "So one day I was on my way to work after leaving your mom at home. After what had happened with the previous pregnancy, I hated leaving her alone…"


	6. How to Fight Without Dragons

How to Fight Without Dragons

_*twenty-three years earlier - Hiccup's Point Of View*_

"Hiccup, you got to relax, son. Astrid will be fine, I'm sure of it," Gobber said, his Scottish drawl coming out in full swing.

"I know, but I am just so worried about her. After what happened last time…" I leaned forward on my desk in the forge, resting my head in my hands.

"After what happened last time, Astrid is stronger. And she has said that this one feels different, right?" Gobber asked.

"Yeah…" I responded.

"Then there ya go, lad. She is fine. Everyone knows not to underestimate that lass of yours, she is a true warrior," Gobber reassured me, turning back to the forge and switching his hook hand for his hammer.

I sighed and turned back to my desk. My father's old office was in the Great Hall, but I never liked the office. I very much preferred the forge, where I had worked as a teenager. Random papers were scattered all over my desk. Some were letters from neighboring islands, some were inventory reports from my team, some were plans for new inventions, and some were drawings of my beautiful wife. I sighed and picked up a drawing of her. It was from the last time we had gone flying together. Her hair was blowing in the wind, a smile from ear to ear, her hands resting on Stormfly's saddle.

I missed the dragons. What I wouldn't give for Toothless or Stormfly to be here to stay home with Astrid. It would be a lot less stressful. But, I couldn't spend time thinking about the past, I had to focus on the now.

I picked up the first paper on my desk and noticed it was a letter from Outcast Island. I quickly read through Alvin's handwriting.

"Gobber! Get the ships ready!" I yelled.

"What for, chief?" he asked, setting aside the shield he had been working on.

"Outcast Island is in trouble. We have to go help," I explained. "I will let Dagur know. You gather all the weapons and shields you can find. If you see Eret tell him to gather the men!" I yelled over my shoulder as I ran towards the Great Hall. That was usually where Dagur did his work.

"Dagur! Brother!" I yelled as I ran into the hall. Some vikings who were eating looked up, but I just ran past them to the table in the back where my second in command was eating his lunch.

"What is it, brother?" Dagur asked, looking up from his food.

"Alvin sent a letter. Outcast Island is under attack," I explained hurriedly.

"What? By who?" Dagur asked, putting his lunch down.

I groaned and shook my head. "You aren't going to believe this…so much for trying to relax." I muttered.

"They are being attacked by a group of dragon riders."

"What? But how? All the dragons are in the hidden world!" Dagur exclaimed.

"That's what I thought too, but apparently a few got captured," I said sadly, "I have to go tell Astrid what's going on. Get the ships ready, please. Let the twins, Fishlegs, your sister, and Snotlout know what's going on."

I ran out of the hall and up the hill to mine and Astrid's house.

"Astrid!"

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Astrid yelled, stepping out the front door. I quickly explained what was happening. As soon as I finished Astrid ran inside and started putting together her armor and got her ax.

"Uh, babe, what are you doing?" I asked, watching her scramble around the house.

"I am going with you," she said.

"Haha no, you are not. You are staying here. I can't risk you and our child, Astrid," I said, pushing her ax down.

"And I can't let you go and risk my child not having a father!" she yelled, lifting her ax back up.

"Astrid…"

"Hiccup, I can't. I can't lose you. They have dragons, Hiccup. We can't compete with that. We haven't even been around dragons in almost three years!" She argued.

"Oh, I know that. Trust me, I know. But, Astrid, they didn't call me the dragon master for nothing, I know I can do this. I just can't have you there. All I would do is worry about your safety," I said calmly, taking the ax and setting it on the floor. I slid one arm around her waist and placed my other hand on her slowly growing belly.

"I need you both to stay here, where it is safe."

"But I need you to be safe too, Hiccup…" she whispered.

I sighed and kissed her, pulling her close to me.

"I love you. And I will come back," I promised.

Astrid helped me gather my old night fury armor. I remembered to grab my flight suit, just in case. Inferno had long since been retired, due to lack of Monstrous Nightmare gel and Zippleback Gas, but Gobber had made me a new sword for my birthday.

"Mom said she would come stay with you until I get back," I told Astrid. She just nodded quietly.

I kissed my wife goodbye, then I went down to the docks to board the ships that were being loaded up.

_*present*_

"Wait, you left mom?" Nuffink asked, shocked that his father had actually left. He had never seen his parents go more than a few days apart, and that was only when the viking chiefs were gathering.

"I had to, son. Outcast Island was in trouble," Hiccup said.

"I mean, I am still mad at him for leaving me to worry the entire time," I said, gently punching his arm.

Nuffink and I set the food out on the dinner table. We all sat down to eat together as a family.

"What did you do when dad left, mom?" Nuffink asked.

"Well at first I felt I would cry, but then I figured, what good would crying do? There was still work to be done in the village. Your grandmother and I were in charge while the warriors were gone," I responded.

"Woah, mom, you were chief?" Zephyr asked, eyes filled with wonder.

I laughed, "I have been chief many times. This wasn't the only time your father and Uncle Dagur were both gone."

"So, what happened next dad?" Zephyr asked. Nuffink took a bite of his yak chop and nodded in agreement with his sister.

Hiccup chuckled, "okay well it was me, Dagur, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, Heather, and about one hundred viking warriors…"

_*twenty-one years earlier*_

"Chief, we are about two hours out of the island," Bucket announced.

I thanked him and used my telescope to see the island at the horizon.

"Dagur, come have a look at this," I said, handing him the telescope.

"Oh wow, they do have dragons. But what kind are they?" he asked.

"Hard to tell from this far away, but they appear to be a mix. I believe there is a Singetail in the group, and what appears to be a Catastrophic Quaken," I said, taking another look through the telescope.

"How did they train them?" Dagur asked.

"My bet is they didn't," I said sadly.

About an hour later we had everyone on the ships prepare their arrows. Everyone had been instructed to only shoot for the riders, not the dragons, if possible. I put my Night Fury helmet on and opened up the flight suit.

"Dagur you command the ships, I am going to get a closer look," I said, walking up to the bow of the ship. Dagur nodded and I jumped off, letting the wind keep me aloft. I glided over to the island, running up to the central building. There I found Alvin and a few of his men.

"Hiccup! I am glad to see you," Alvin said.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked.

"Four days, chief Hiccup. My men can't take much more. We are nearly down to a quarter of the men we started with. Most wounded, but some have passed on through Odin's gates," Alvin said, eyes downcast in respect for his fallen warriors.

"Have you noticed anything about the riders? Are they targeting a specific area or looking for something?" I asked.

"I am afraid I do not know the answer to that. But there is something about the leader that I have noticed," Alvin said.

"What's that?" I asked, detecting worry in Alvin's voice.

"The leader, well, he rides a Night Fury."


	7. How to Search For Family Members

How to Search For Family Members

I nearly fell over when Alvin said what kind of dragon the leader was riding. I quickly pulled out my telescope and searched the sky for the leader.

"Oh, my gods…" I whispered when I found him. I recognized the dragon immediately.

"Toothless…"

"Is it the one that belonged to you, Hiccup?" Alvin asked.

I nodded silently. "We have to stop them," I said, "I just have to figure out how."

That's when the warriors on the ships began firing their arrows.

"I have to stop them!" I yelled and started running back to the ships.

As soon as I got close enough I started yelling. "Dagur! Dagur stop!"

The dragons and riders began attacking the ships. I ran onto the ship and began waving our white flag, hoping they would stop the attack and land to talk.

"Hiccup what are you…?" Dagur asked, but then the dragons landed, the leader right in front of us. There was my best friend, my Night Fury, Toothless. He had a chain around his neck and through his mouth. I had not seen him in almost three years. I could tell he knew who I was. He looked miserable. The person riding him jumped down, a red cloak covering their entire body and shielding their face.

"Who are you and how did you get my dragon?" I asked, holding my sword up to the rider's neck.

"Hiccup Haddock, it has been a long time. Last I saw you, you were only a baby," the cloaked figure said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The person slowly pulled their hood back to reveal long red hair that cascaded down her back. Her eyes were dark grey and very serious. They looked so familiar.

"My brother always said you'd grow to be a handsome and strong young man, but I never believed him because of how small you were," she said.

"Brother? Who are you?" I asked again, lowering my sword.

"Oh, Hiccup, I am Sylvia, Stoick's sister."

_*present*_

"Wait, grandpa Stoick had a sister?" Zephyr asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes, he did," Hiccup responded.

"Well, are you going to tell us more?" Nuffink asked.

"Kids, be patient. Your father has been talking all night, let him eat. Now, Zephyr you go clean up the kitchen. Nuffink, baby, can you go get a fire started in the hearth? Oh and somebody check on Eira," I instructed. The kids went to do the chores I had asked them to do and I sat next to my husband. He smiled at me after taking another bite of his dinner.

"Hello milady, nice to finally get a few moments alone with you," he said.

"Yes, it is nice isn't it?" I laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"I think you missed," Hiccup said, a smirk playing across his lips.

"Did I?" I asked playfully.

We kissed, Hiccup's hand going to the back of my neck to pull me closer.

"Hey, mom?" Nuffink walked into the dining area from the front room. Hiccup and I broke apart quickly.

"Yes, baby?" I asked.

"Where is Eira?" he asked.

"Is she not in her room? She wasn't feeling well earlier so I sent her to bed," I said, getting up.

"Nope, her window is open though," Zephyr said as she walked down the stairs.

"Hiccup…." I groaned.

"Nuffink you go search for her in the cove, Zephyr you check grandma's, Astrid, you stay here in case she comes home," the chief said, putting his cloak on.

"I'll go look for her in the village," He said, walking out the front door and down the path to the middle of town.

I sat down and chuckled to myself once the house was empty.

"Oh let's have a kid, oh let's have another kid, the village needs heirs," I mimicked my husband's voice, "hey we are good at this parenting thing, let's have one more kid…" I rolled my eyes. The headaches this last one has caused me….

Soon my two oldest children came inside from the cold and removed their boots and coats.

"Did you find her?" I asked. They both shook their heads. I sighed, "Okay well I am going to go looking now…" I said, putting my boots on and grabbing my cloak. I was just about to open the door when Hiccup walked in, my youngest child in tow. My pregnancy with her had been half planned half surprise. She was only thirteen, almost fourteen, much younger than the other two. I crossed my arms over my chest as my daughter blew her blonde bangs out of her big blue eyes. She was practically a clone of myself. She looked exactly like me. She also had a fighting spirit and the stubbornness of a yak.

"And just where have you been, young lady? You told me you were sick," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her into the living room by the hearth so she could warm up.

"Eira we have talked about sneaking out through the window…" Hiccup said sternly.

"Y'all never said I couldn't climb out my window. You just said I couldn't sneak out of the doors, remember?" the young girl sassed as she plopped down on a stool by the fire, holding her hands out to the warm flames. I groaned and brought my hand to my forehead, rubbing my head like I had a headache, which I did.

"Eira were you with Buffnut again?" Hiccup asked, a hint of anger coming up into his voice.

"What does it matter to you? I love him!" she retorted.

"Eira you are far too young to be in a relationship like that!" Hiccup nearly yelled. This caused Eira's fiery temper to stir.

"Well, how old were you when you and mom started dating? And you let Zephyr and Nuffink date!" she yelled.

"Your mother and I didn't start officially dating until we were about seventeen, same as Zephyr and Spikelout, and Nuffink and Ragnhild. They waited until they felt they were mature enough to handle a serious relationship, just like your mother and I did," Hiccup explained, using his other children's significant others as examples. Ragnhild was Heather and Fishlegs' other daughter. She was exactly three days younger than Nuffink and was a lot like her father, while her sister was nearly exactly like her mother. The funny thing was, Mila looked like Fishlegs, and Ragnhild looked like Heather.

"I am mature enough to handle a serious relationship," Eira grumbled.

"Okay, Eira, go eat dinner and then straight to bed. I am going to lock your window tonight. Hiccup, you relax and have a seat. Finish telling Zephyr and Nuffink the story," I instructed.

Eira's facial expression perked up. "A story? Can I stay and listen? Please?" she asked. I sighed and nodded my head. "Yes, you may, but you are staying home and doing housework tomorrow, understand?" I asked. My youngest nodded enthusiastically and went to sit at her father's feet with her older siblings.

"Okay, now where were we?" Hiccup asked the children.

"Grandpa's sister," Zephyr reminded him.

"Ah, yes! Okay, so I had just discovered that the mysterious woman who was riding my dragon was actually my aunt…."


	8. How to Let Go Again

How to Let Go, Again

_*twenty-one years earlier, Hiccup's Point Of View*_

"No, my father didn't have any siblings," I said, holding the sword back up to her neck. Toothless whined from behind her. I wasn't actually going to harm her, just scare her a bit.

"On the contrary, young chief, your father and I grew up together," Sylvia said calmly.

"Then why did he never mention you?" I asked.

"Probably because he banished me from Berk. Forced me to leave my homeland and wander for years with no place to call my own!" she hissed.

I shook my head. "No, I still don't believe you," I said, quieter now, "And you probably shouldn't have landed, you have nowhere to run now…" I whispered. Dagur came forward and cuffed her hands.

"Hiccup Haddock you tricked me! You are just like my brother!" she yelled.

"Thank you. If I become half the man my father was, then I can die a happy viking," I said, leading her down below deck.

Once we had reached the captain's quarters I had her take a seat. Dagur and I sat across from her while Heather and Fishlegs guarded the door. Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout all took care of the rest of the flyers, putting them in a cell below deck, away from the dragons.

"Why were you attacking Outcast Island?" I asked.

"Oh, I would have thought you were smarter than this, nephew. I was merely looking for you, I have been for a while now. I heard that you and the Outcasts were allies and figured you would come out of hiding if I attacked there," Sylvia explained.

"Then why not attack Berk?" Dagur asked.

"Because my sorry excuse for a brother banished me from ever stepping foot on Berk ever again. If I go back it would be breaking my word in a way, and I never go back on my word,"

"How did you get the dragons?" I asked, "How did you get my dragon?"

"Quite simple, really. Your dragon, the night fury, and his mate were flying too close to the top of the waterfall surrounding their little safe haven. It was easy to sneak up and catch him with a net. When other dragons came up to save him, we did the same with them," She started looking around at the maps on the walls.

"Did you draw these?" she asked, "you are quite talented."

I ignored her compliment. "The dragons will be set free. They do not belong here anymore. They are not safe. They belong in the hidden world," I said, walking over to Fishlegs.

"Go free the dragons," I instructed.

"Do you want to say goodbye to Toothless?" Fishlegs asked gently.

I shut my eyes tight. "Yeah, I do. Give the other dragons fish and water. I'll take care of my dragon. Dagur, lock her up," I said, pointing to Sylvia before walking out of the room.

There he was, my best friend. I slowly walked out on the deck of the ship.

"Hey there, bud. You remember me?" I asked calmly, holding my hand out to him.

Toothless growled but slowly moved his head forward to smell my hand. His eyes immediately softened and he jumped at me, licking my face excitedly.

"Hey, Toothless! Yeah, I missed you too, bud!" I said, hugging him. Once he calmed down he and I sat next to each other. He carefully sniffed at the beard that was starting to grow on my chin.

"You like that, bud?" I laughed. Toothless laughed too.

"So, Astrid and I got married," I told him, "and we are going to have a baby now."

Toothless purred and looked up at me.

"You know, like an, uh, a hatchling! Yeah, Astrid and I mated and are going to have a hatchling," I explained. My dragon seemed to understand that because he jumped up excitedly and started bouncing around the ship. I laughed as I watched him. I had really missed him.

"How are the others? Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch? Are they good?" I asked. The night fury purred happily as if to say yes.

"That's good bud. I know you are a good king for them," I said, scratching his ears.

"Hey, chief, the dragons have to go now," Dagur said from the doorway. I turned and nodded.

"Okay, bud. It's time for you to go…" I said sadly. Toothless purred sadly and moved his head forward so I could hug him one last time before he roared, calling the other dragons. They took off and then in about ten minutes they were out of sight. It wasn't until I was below deck and out of sight that I let the tears fall.

When we reached Death Song Island all the captives were brought up to the deck, including my alleged aunt.

"Drop them off here…" I ordered. Then I pointed at Sylvia and said, "All but her. She is going with us to Berk."

The other riders were dropped off. Death Song Island had become almost like a jail for us Berkians. Because of its location, and because all the dragons were gone, anybody dropped off there would remain there until they could build a boat sturdy enough to hold themselves. Usually, by then any war they had taken part in or any trouble they had caused was over.

"Hiccup, Stoick banished me, remember?" Sylvia laughed nervously.

"Well I am the new chief and I am going to allow you to stay in our jail on Berk for the time being. At least until you tell me how you really got those dragons," I said, without turning to look at her.

"What are you talking about? I told you how we got them!" Sylvia said angrily.

"You told me how you want me to think you got them, which was a lie. I want the truth," I explained. Sylvia watched as her riders were let off the ship and onto the island. Then we started sailing back to Berk.

_*present day*_

"Dad, did you really leave those dragon riders there?" Zephyr asked.

My husband nodded solemnly. "We did what we had to do," he said, "But I wasn't about to let my aunt get away. I wanted to ask her a few questions."

"Why isn't she still here?" Nuffink asked.

"Well, we will let your father explain that later. But for now, it is time for bed," I said, smiling at my kids' yawning faces.

Eira was already almost asleep. Nuffink stood and picked up his little sister. Zephyr kissed my husband and I goodnight and all three of the kids went upstairs to their room. They all three shared a room that was once the attic. Hiccup fixed it up and they all love sharing the room. I walked over to my husband, who was starting to fall asleep in his chair.

"Come on babe," I laughed, taking his hand in mine. He smiled at me and we walked upstairs together.


	9. How to Get Your Aunt to Talk Part 1

How to Get Your Aunt to Talk Part 1

I woke up early to make breakfast for everyone. Eira was the first one to get up. She walked down the stairs sleepily, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Good morning beautiful," I said, smiling at her. Eira's hair was all over the place - major bedhead. I set a plate of eggs down in front of her.

"Thanks," Eira grumbled. She slowly started eating her eggs. I set plates down at each of the other places at the table. Hiccup was the next one up.

"Good morning milady," he said, kissing my cheek.

Nuffink trudged down the stairs but perked up when he saw the eggs on the table.

"Oh wow! Zephyr, mom made breakfast!" he yelled up the stairs. He sat down and started eating eagerly.

"Nuffink, you weren't kidding!" Zephyr said, quickly walking down the stairs while tying the end of her auburn braid. I looked at my family, my mouth wide in feigned hurt.

"Do I really cook breakfast so rarely that you are all so excited when I do?"

My entire family nodded in agreement.

"Wow, thank you, my dear family," I laughed. I sat down with them and started eating my breakfast as well.

"So, dad, what happened with our grand-aunt?" Nuffink asked.

"Okay, I will tell you guys a little bit more of the story, but first we are going over our goals of the day," Hiccup said.

"Mom, Spike, and I are going to clean up the clearing by the Great Hall for the wedding," Zephyr said, standing to clear her plate.

"We are checking in with Gobber, right dad?" Nuffink asked. Hiccup smiled and nodded.

"And I am staying here all day!" Eira said.

"Haha no, you are not," I said, "you are helping grandma get the seeds ready for planting."

Eira groaned dramatically and walked over to the wash basin in the kitchen to clean off her plate, dragging her feet with each step.

"Okay, you kids ready for me to keep going?" Hiccup asked.

All three kids nodded excitedly.

Hiccup chuckled, "okay, so we had just left Sylvia in the village jail and I was so excited to get home to see Astrid. Because the trip had happened to fall into the storm season, I had been gone for almost three months…."

_*twenty-one years earlier*_

"Well my Thor," Gobber said, "is that you Sylvia? Haven't seen you since…"

"Since my brother banished me? Yes, I know. You are as hideous as ever. And you've lost your hand," Sylvia hissed from behind the bars in her cell.

"So she really is my father's sister?" I asked.

"Aye, laddie, that she is," Gobber said, picking at his teeth with his hook. "And just so ya know, I rather like my hook," Gobber said to Sylvia.

It was then that Dagur walked in. "Go see your wife, brother. I'll watch the sinister auntie," he said.

"Thank you, I really need to see her," I said. I said goodbye to Gobber and started running up the path to my home.

"Astrid!" I yelled as I got closer. I saw the front door open and out ran my beautiful wife.

I ran faster to meet her. When I finally reached her, I wrapped my arms around her and held her as close as I could. I buried my head in her hair and I felt her fingers running through mine.

"I missed you," I whispered. I pulled back to kiss her. She sighed into the kiss.

"I missed you too, Hiccup," she whispered.

It was then that I noticed she looked different.

"Oh my gods…" I said quietly as I placed my hand over her round belly.

Astrid laughed and put her hand over mine. "In just four more months we'll be parents, Hiccup," she said.

I sighed and walked into the house with her. "I missed so much, Astrid. I wanted to be here, to help you…."

"Hiccup, you had to save Outcast Island. You had to go. Speaking of the Outcasts, did you win?" she asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked down. "Well, we saved Outcast Island, but some pretty crazy stuff went down…" I said.

"What kind of crazy stuff?" she asked curiously.

"The leader of the attackers was riding Toothless…" I said, my eyes tearing up slightly at the thought of my best friend. I sat down in front of the fireplace.

"What?" Astrid asked incredulously.

"It's true. And the leader was also a woman. And she uh, she is my father's sister," I said slowly, trying to process what I was telling her. Astrid gasped and sat down next to me.

"You're kidding, right? Your father never had a sister," she said, taking my hand in hers.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but Gobber saw her and immediately recognized her," I explained.

Astrid rested her head on my shoulder. "It'll be okay," she said, "We'll figure this out together."

I kissed her forehead and wrapped my arm around her waist. We sat together until we started falling asleep. Then we walked up to our bedroom together.


	10. How to Get Your Aunt to Talk Part 2

How to Get Your Aunt to Talk Part 2

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

The next morning we quickly got dressed and went to check on Sylvia. When we got close enough to the jail that I could see her, I immediately saw the family resemblance. She had the same hair and eye color as Stoick. She had broad shoulders and looked to be quite strong, much like her brother. She gave us a sinister looking smirk as we walked closer. I placed my hand over my baby bump protectively as I quickly got a sense of distrust for the woman in the cell.

"Ah, there's my nephew. And I assume you are his wife. Hiccup, you didn't tell me you had a little one on the way," she said, reaching out to touch my belly. Hiccup hit her hand away before she could touch me.

"You will not lay a finger on her," he said sternly.

"Oh, come now, I am not going to harm your wife or your child, nephew," she chuckled and sat down in the middle of the cell. She had taken her hair out of the old braid and had redone it so it was neater and more in place. Her cloak, which was a shimmering red color, was in the back corner of the cell. The material looked familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Are you going to talk now?" Hiccup asked her.

"I will tell you anything you want to know, nephew. Ask any question you want," she said.

"Why were you looking for me?" he asked.

"Do I need to have a reason to look for the nephew that I have not seen in twenty-five years?" she asked. Her voice was like poison ivy, soft and smooth when the words first came in contact with your ears but left behind a stinging feeling when she finished talking.

"If my father banished you, he had to have had a good reason. So no, you can not just want to find me. You have a reason," Hiccup said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, nephew, why do you distrust me so? I was only banished because I was stronger than your father. He and I were in dragon training together and I was always the stronger sibling. I saw an opportunity with dragons that your father was too scared to try," she said. She stood and walked over to the bars on the walls of the cells. "What else do you want to know, nephew?"

"How did you get the dragons?" I asked, stepping in front of my husband to face the snake behind the bars.

"Astrid…" Hiccup said softly, reaching for my arm.

"So that is your name! Astrid…. Such a lovely name," Sylvia said, "I always liked that name. Have you chosen a name for the little one yet?"

"That is none of your concern," I told her, "I want to know how you got Toothless? How did you get my husband's dragon?"

"As I said before, he was above the waterfall. I am not sure why, but he was easy to catch. My crew used a dragon-proof net. Once we had him many others followed," she said calmly.

"How did you know where the waterfall was?" Hiccup asked. My husband looked worried, which was understandable. If people knew where the hidden world was, the dragons could be in danger.

"I just stumbled across it while sailing one day," Sylvia said, sighing and sitting back down, leaning against the wall of the cell.

Hiccup groaned in frustration. I knew he didn't like vague answers and that is all she was giving.

"When am I going to see my dear brother anyway? I bet he is enjoying retirement," Sylvia said.

Hiccup clenched his fists and turned to her. "He is dead," he said simply. This surprised Sylvia and she remained quiet.

"Come on, babe, let's leave her for a few minutes and talk to Gobber. Maybe he knows more about why she was banished," I said, taking his hand in mine.

I walked with him to the forge, leaving two guards to watch Sylvia. We got to the forge and Hiccup walked right past Gobber and into his office.

"What's wrong with your lad, Astrid?" Gobber asked.

"Family trouble," I said, slowly sitting down on the bench next to where Gobber was working.

"Oh, you talked to Sylvia, eh?" He asked, pausing his hammering to sit next to me.

I nodded. "Gobber, what really happened between her and Stoick? Why was she banished?" I asked.

"Well, lass, you see, she was always a bit stronger than Stoick. She was also better in dragon training. When Stoick became chief they mostly did the job together. They were inseparable. But one day after a particularly hard blow from the dragons, half the village had gone up in flames, they had different opinions on what to do about it. Stoick just wanted to rebuild and make sure his people were safe. Sylvia, on the other hand, wanted to trap the dragons and force them to be their weapons against other dragons. She even went so far as to suggest using the captured dragons to defeat all their enemies and even some surrounding islands that were allies to them. She also did not care if people died. She actually wanted bloodshed. Stoick couldn't allow it. His duty was to keep people safe, and he wasn't about to turn on their allies. Sylvia got angry at Stoick for not seeing her reasoning. She stormed out of the Great Hall, and I mean stormed. She was fuming. Valka and I were in the hall with them, I saw and heard it all. We didn't see her for a few days, but when she came back, she came back with a Skrill. She took it to the middle of town and started recruiting people to join her in overthrowing every other tribe. When Stoick heard what she was doing he ran to the center of town and lawfully banished her. Some townsfolk went with her, but we haven't seen or heard from her until now. My bet is she heard that her nephew was a kind of dragon master and wanted him to help her in her quest of conquest," Gobber explained. I was shocked. It sounded a lot like what Drago had wanted.

Gobber and I looked up when we heard a crash from the other side of Hiccup's door.

"Go check on him, lass," Gobber said, standing to continue working on the ax he was fixing.

I slowly opened the office door. "Hiccup?" I said quietly. Papers were scattered all across the floor. He was leaning on his desk, his palms flat against the top and his head down.

I rushed over to him and hugged him from behind, my head resting on his back and my arms tightly wrapped around his waist.

It didn't take long for him to turn around and wrap his arms around me. He leaned back on his desk so he was half sitting on it.

"I love you," I whispered.

He tilted my head up and kissed me softly. "I heard what Gobber said," he whispered.

"You did?" I asked.

He nodded and said, "I want to talk to her again."

"If that's what you want," I said.

He hugged me closer. "But in a few minutes…"

_*present*_

"Wow, so she wanted to use the dragons for power?" Zephyr asked.

"Yes, sweetheart," Hiccup responded.

Before any more questions could be asked, I walked over. "Okay Haddock family, we all have things we need to do today. Let's go!" I reminded them. My family all got up and started putting their boots and furs on.

Eira was the first to finish. She was out the door and on her way to Valka's in no time. Hiccup kissed me goodbye and he and Nuffink started walking to the forge to see what was on the to-do list today.

"You ready, baby?" I asked my oldest child. She smiled at me and nodded. We walked out of the house and down the path to the Great Hall. Spikelout was already there waiting for us. Zephyr ran to meet him. I smiled and watched as Spike hugged and kissed my daughter. They really were a good match, even if he was a Jorgenson.

"Goodmorning Auntie Astrid," he said. I smiled. All of us former dragon riders had taught our kids to call our friends Auntie or Uncle. So for my kids, it was Uncle Fishlegs or Aunt Ruff. Most of us enjoyed it. All but Snotlout. Most of the kids called him Uncle Snot.

"You guys ready to clear this up?" I asked, observing the pasture next to the Great Hall. There was hay covering most of it that would have to be raked up and the stonework that was at the center needed to be cleaned. Spike and Zephyr picked up rakes and started working enthusiastically, talking the entire time. I set to work on the stonework.

I sighed as I remembered marrying Hiccup here. It overlooked the ocean and the stones had dragons carved into them Gothi had performed our wedding ceremony, but sadly she had passed on to Valhalla a few years back. This meant that Hiccup would be performing the ceremony. He would have to work hard to keep from crying while marrying off his firstborn daughter. He knew that Zephyr was ready, but that doesn't mean he was ready. I liked to think I was ready, but deep down I knew I still thought of my daughter as the little girl who had stolen my heart the second she was born.

Looking back at the young couple behind me made me laugh. They had started throwing the hay at each other. They were chasing each other and laughing the entire time. Yes, my daughter was ready. I knew this, but I still wondered where the years had gone.


	11. How to Lose Your Aunt

How to Lose Your Aunt

It was soon time to head home. Spike, Zephyr, and I had cleaned up the pasture and stonework quite nicely. I let Zephyr stay with Spike while I went to get Eira. The walk to Valka's house wasn't too long, even though her home was the furthest from town. After all those years on her own, she preferred to stay away from too much human interaction. When I got to the house I walked around back and found my daughter and Valka planting flowers in the backyard.

"Now these ones are good for if you have an itch from something like poison ivy or a bug bite," Valka explained, letting Eira see the soft pink flowers. My youngest really enjoyed learning about medicinal plants. Everyone in the village thought if she could get through the rebellious stage she would make a great medicine woman in place of Gothi. I thought she would too.

"Hi baby," I said as I got closer. Eira looked up at me and smiled.

"Hi, mom," she said, "grandma is teaching me about what plants can do to help us."

Valka smiled up at me. "She really does enjoy it," she said.

"I'm glad you're having fun, sweetheart, but it's time to go home," I reminded her.

Eira stood and wiped her dirty hands on her skirt. She said goodbye and thank you to her grandmother. We walked back home together.

When we walked inside we were hit with the delicious smell of fish.

"Oh hi, babe!" Hiccup said, walking over to kiss me. "I am making dinner."

"Oh, I love when you make dinner," I said, kissing him in return. Zephyr had already made it home.

"Dad, what happened with Sylvia?" Eira asked. I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I have been asking him to tell me all day, but he said I had to wait to hear it with you guys," Nuffink said.

Everyone sat down and all eyes went to Hiccup expectantly.

"Can't a man eat first?" he laughed.

All the kids kept their gaze on their father.

"I guess not," he sighed. "Okay, so your mother and I went back to Berk's jail to check on Sylvia…"

_*twenty-one years earlier - Hiccup's point of view*_

Astrid held my hand tightly as we walked back to see the snake who was my aunt. We were about halfway there when the guards we had left with her ran up to us, panting and out of breath.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The lady, she just disappeared!" One of them said quickly.

"We came to tell you right after we searched the cell," the other said.

"Hiccup, her cloak! It's Changewing scales!" Astrid said quickly, "I knew I recognized it from somewhere!"

"Wait, you two went in the cell to search for her?" I asked.

Both guards nodded.

"And did you leave the door open?" I asked, slight anger in my voice.

They looked at each other then looked down at their feet.

I let out a frustrated yell and started running to the prison.

By the time I got there, it was too late. She was long gone. Astrid and the guards didn't run as fast as I had so I was at the prison alone for a few minutes.

"I was hoping to catch you alone, nephew…." a voice hissed behind me.

I turned quickly but saw nobody. "Changewing…" I whispered.

"You are quite smart. I have to admit, I was surprised when you didn't notice what my cloak was. And now that you know, the information won't do you any good," the invisible woman said.

Then I cried out as I felt a sharp pain in my side. My tunic turned red with blood and a dagger appeared in my side. I heard Sylvia laugh and run out of the cell. I fell to my knees, holding my hand over my wound.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled when she saw me. I felt the guards lift me up. Astrid never let go of my hand. When we got to town I vaguely remember her telling Dagur to put double the amount of guards on the ships and briefly explain what happened. Then they took me to my mother's infirmary and everything went dark.

_*present*_

"Dad, did you die?" Eira asked worriedly.

"Well, would I be here if I had?" Hiccup laughed. Eira smiled and giggled quietly.

"Mom, what happened when you got dad to the infirmary?" Nuffink asked.

"Well," I said, "I was so worried. He had lost a lot of blood. I was praying to the gods nonstop asking them to heal him. Zephyr, I am pretty sure you were worried too because you were jumping around and kicking inside me."

Zephyr smiled at me.

"So we brought your father in and grandma had us put him on one of the beds..."

_*twenty-one years earlier - Astrid's Point of View*_

"What happened?" Valka asked worriedly when she saw her son.

"Sylvia escaped and stabbed him," I said quickly, helping the guards put my husband on one of the beds.

Valka started darting around, grabbing cotton and bandages. She also grabbed several different plants that I didn't recognize, but she said they would keep it from getting infected.

I held Hiccup's hand as Valka cleaned and bandaged the wound as gently as she could, but I could tell he was still in so much pain. He was partially unconscious and was groaning through gritted teeth.

"I know, babe. But don't worry, you'll be okay," I whispered to him. I ran my fingers through his hair and that helped him relax a little bit. When Valka finally finished he was asleep.

"It could have been a lot worse," she said quietly, "She didn't hit any vital organs as far as I can tell."

I sighed in relief and rested my head on the bed next to Hiccup.

"He'll wake up soon, just make sure he doesn't move too much. We don't want to open the stitches I put in," Valka said, resting her hand on my back for a few seconds to reassure me that she was here and that he would be okay.

"Can you go check on Dagur? That woman can not escape the island," I told her. Valka nodded and left the room to do as I had asked.

I turned back to my husband. His face had relaxed so I knew he wasn't in as much pain as he had been. I kissed his cheek softly and climbed onto the bed next to him, never wanting to let go.


	12. How to Come Back From the Dead

How to Come Back to Life

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

Even though Hiccup's wound was healing properly, he hadn't woken up in three days. Dagur and the other guards were watching the ships around the clock and there was always a group walking the circumference of the island, but there were no signs of Sylvia.

Honestly, she was the least of my worries at the moment. My biggest worry was that my husband wasn't waking up. I spent all day every day by his side in the infirmary. I barely ate anything. It wasn't until Valka reminded me that I was eating for two that I started eating the food she would bring for me.

"Why isn't he waking up?" I asked, my voice choking from the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes.

"I don't know, dear. The wound is healing nicely, so I do not think it is poison. Maybe he is scared to come back. Just talk to him, love. Let him hear your voice. Tell him how much you and your child need him," Valka suggested. She gently squeezed my shoulder and left for the night.

I looked back at my husband. His face was relaxed, so I knew he wasn't hurting. Maybe he was scared…. But of what? I sighed and held his hand in mine, bringing it up to my lips.

"Hey, my love. Look, I don't know why you won't wake up, but we really need you out here. Dagur is okay as temporary chief for a day or two, but we are going on four days now. We all miss you and we all need you," I whispered. I took a deep breath and continued, "Hiccup, I need you here. Our baby needs you. Please wake up for us… please. I can't live without you. Remember when I went blind? Do you remember what you said to me? You told me that no matter what happened we would get through it together. That it was Hiccup and Astrid forever. That there would always be a Hiccup and Astrid," the tears were trailing down my face now, "Hiccup, I don't know why you won't wake up or if you are scared of something, but remember it is always going to be Hiccup and Astrid. Whatever is going on we can get through it together. But in order for there to be a 'we' you have to get better for me. There can't be a 'Hiccup and Astrid' without you, babe. I need you. I love you," finally the tears were falling too hard and I had to stop talking. I got up to wipe my eyes and splash water on my face.

I stepped outside and took a few deep breaths. I had needed the fresh air. Looking at the village at night was strange. It was rare that I was up this late nowadays. Nobody was out walking the streets, all the shops and stands were closed, all the lights were out, and there wasn't any smoke coming out of the forge chimney. It looked different, but it was still undoubtedly beautiful, and undoubtedly Berk. This was my village - our village. Hiccup loved it too much to just leave, I knew this. He loved me too much to just leave. Yes, my husband was a fighter. He was the strongest viking I knew. He would make it. I was sure of it now.

After taking one last look at the town I walked back inside the infirmary and went back to Hiccup. I sat beside the bed and sighed, rubbing my hand over my belly.

"I know little one. I am worried too," I whispered to the tiny being who was moving around inside me, "Don't worry. Your father is strong and he loves you so much. He would never miss out on the chance to meet you. He will tell you all about when he and I were young. You know, at first I didn't like him, but I guess he grew on me. If you're a little boy he will be able to train you to be chief. If you're a little girl, you will get to decide if you want to someday be chief or not. We'll just have to see…." I paused and looked out the window and up at the stars.

"Your daddy knows how to find so many shapes and pictures in the stars," I said, chuckling softly, "he tries to show them to me, but half the time I have to pretend I see them. But if you are anything like your father, which I truly hope you are, you'll be able to see them." I took a deep breath, continuing to gaze at the stars.

"Astrid?"

I gasped and looked over at my husband. His eyes were barely open, but he was awake. I started crying again and practically lunged at him, kissing him deeply. Hiccup laughed weakly.

"I missed you too, but um, do you really just pretend to see the constellations I show you?" he asked.

I laughed and wiped tears from my eyes. "How long were you listening?" I asked.

"I heard most of it," he said, putting his hand on my stomach.

"You really think I would miss the chance to listen to such a sweet conversation?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips. I rolled my eyes and kissed him again.

"You know," I whispered, "you really looked like you were dead while you were out."

"Well then I guess I came back from the dead, huh?" he teased.

I shook my head at my crazy, sweet, loving husband. I got up in the bed next to him. We stayed that way, looking out the window and up at the stars.

"So, do I need to point out the constellations again?" he asked. I just laughed and cuddled close to him, glad that he was going to be okay.

_*present*_

"Well, I am glad you lived, dad," Nuffink said as he cleaned off his plate.

"Yeah otherwise it would just be mom and Zephyr," Eira said.

"What, you guys don't think your mom would have found another handsome viking to marry?" Hiccup teased.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "You are the only viking for me," I said. He smiled and kissed me while Nuffink and Eira yelled, "Ewww do you have to do that here?"

Hiccup and I laughed and looked at our kids.

"For the record, I thought it was sweet," Zephyr said.

My husband and I smiled and he put his arm around my waist. "A man showing his wife how much he loves her isn't 'ew,' it is sweet," he said, kissing me again. Our two youngest kids rolled their eyes and went upstairs to get ready for bed. Nuffink's blond mop of hair bounced as he ran up the stairs. He made sure he was always a few steps ahead of his little sister, who was trying her best to keep up. Their older sister following behind them when she had finished cleaning up the dinner table. She started unbraiding her hair as she walked up the stairs, letting it fall down to her waist.

"We made some pretty babies," I said, looking up at my husband.

"We could always make one more…" he said, kissing my neck.

"Oh, I really hope you are joking..." I groaned.

Hiccup laughed. "Don't worry, three is definitely enough," he reassured me.

"Good… But, I mean, we don't have to actually make another one to have some fun…" I whispered. I slowly stood up and walked towards the stairs, swaying my hips a little extra. I glanced back at my husband as I started walking up to our bedroom. His eyes were wide and his mouth had dropped open. He quickly got up and ran up the stairs after me.


	13. How to Grow Up

How to Grow Up

"So, dad, what happened with Sylvia?" Eira asked. We were all five working on patching up the roof, preparing for the rainy season.

"Um, actually, we never found her. None of the ships ever went missing, so we don't know if she is still on the island or if she made her own ship, but we haven't seen her in over two decades now," he said, hammering down part of the roof.

"Seriously? That's how you end the whole evil aunt part of the story?" Zephyr asked as she handed Nuffink some nails.

"Maybe someday we will have a better ending, but right now that is all we have," I said.

"So you just stopped sending out search parties for her?" Nuffink asked. Hiccup nodded in reply.

"Eventually it got to a point where we figured if we hadn't found her by then, we wouldn't' find her unless she wanted to be found. Plus we needed the men to start working elsewhere," he explained.

The kids sighed disappointedly. Even though Hiccup had pretty much accepted the ending of the story of his aunt, I knew it wasn't over yet. I just wasn't sure when or how it would end.

_*later that day*_

"Okay, baby, I'm almost done!" I said excitedly, finishing up the last few stitches on the dress.

Zephyr ran over and watched as I finished off the thread and cut it. I held it up to her.

"You are going to look so beautiful," I told her.

My daughter was absolutely gorgeous. Her smile was ear to ear. "Can I try it on?" she asked.

I nodded and she ran upstairs to put it on.

I heard the front door open and turned to see my husband walking in. "Hey, babe. You're home early," I commented, walking over to give him a 'welcome home' kiss. He smiled brightly.

"Yeah, well, Nuffink said he could handle the last of our to-do list so I figured I would come see what my girls were up to," he said.

"Okay, well, Eira is out with her friends and Zephyr is upstairs. We finished the dress, Hiccup!" I said excitedly.

"Wait, she is trying it on right now?" he asked. I nodded.

"Mom? How does it look?" Zephyr asked quietly.

Hiccup and I both turned towards the stairs and saw our daughter standing at the bottom. The dress was beautiful. The fitted sleeves and bodice outlined her arms and body perfectly. The skirt was loose and lightly dragged on the floor, making it look as if she was walking on air. The lace detailing was absolutely perfect. And my daughter had let her auburn hair out of its braid so that the waves were flowing down her back and over her shoulders. Tears filled both of our eyes as we took in the beautiful sight.

"Guys? Is it okay? Do we have to change something?" Zephyr asked worriedly.

"No, baby! Gods, you are so beautiful," I told her, walking over to hug her.

Hiccup followed and hugged her as well. He didn't say anything though.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Zephyr asked.

Hiccup chuckled nervously. "Uh, well, I guess I am just realizing that you are all grown up now. You aren't my baby girl anymore. You are a viking woman now and you're going to be a wife and eventually a mother and it's all hitting me at once…" he said, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful, princess. Spike is definitely going to fall over when he sees you," Hiccup laughed, hugging her once more.

I smiled and wiped a few tears from my eyes as I watched my husband and our firstborn. Hiccup and I always knew that our kids would grow up and eventually get married and start families of their own, but it came so quickly… I guess we just weren't prepared, though I have no idea how you would prepare for something like this.

Zephyr laughed softly and wiped her father's eyes. "Don't worry dad. If you're a mess for my wedding, just wait and see mom at Nuffink's wedding," She laughed. Hiccup and I laughed too because it was true. And when it came to Eira, well we would both be a mess because she's our last one.

I looked at the smiling faces in front of me. I wanted to save that moment. I wanted to keep it forever.

"Hiccup, she used to be so tiny, what happened?" I teased.

"I know, do you remember all those diapers?" he asked.

"Dad!" Zephyr exclaimed, lightly punching his arm.

"Oh, I remember. I also remember you took the longest to birth. I was in labor for longer than a day," I said.

"Can you tell me about it?" Zephyr asked, almost shyly.

Hiccup and I looked at each other and smiled.

"Sure, sweetheart. It all started on the first day of Spring. I was about eight and a half months pregnant. Your father and I were outside with Fishlegs, Heather, Dagur, Snotlout and his wife Willow, and Ruff and Tuff. Every year on the first night of spring we would have a bonfire and would tell stories of our time on Dragon's Edge…"

_*twenty years ago, Astrid's point of view*_

"That is so not how that happened, Snotlout!" Fishlegs said loudly, pointing the yak chop he had been eating towards the smaller viking.

"It is so! I was a hero!" Snotlout retorted.

"I don't know Snot, I am pretty sure that was one of the missions where you were screaming the entire time…" I laughed. My husband walked over and sat down next to me with his plate of food.

"Yeah, well, that Cavern Crasher was all me!" Snotlout said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, I will give you that one, Snot," Hiccup commented.

Snotlout leaned back and put his arm around his wife. We were all surprised when Snotlout told us he had actually found somebody willing to marry him. But after we met her, we all knew they were the perfect match. Willow was taller than Snotlout, which wasn't that big of an accomplishment. She had fiery red hair and green eyes. Willow was originally from Outcast Island. She had a calming sense about her. Anybody near her just felt peaceful. She also was good at thinking before doing, and some of that was rubbing off on Snotlout; some, not all.

The redhaired lass smiled up at her husband. "Don't worry, babe. I think you are brave," she said.

"Thank you, my love. See? Somebody knows the truth!" Snotlout said. But, when he wasn't looking, Willow looked at us and shook her head slightly. We all laughed, very much confusing Snotlout.

"So, Fishlegs, Heather, how is little Mila?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh, Hiccup, she is perfect! She looks just like her mom and I am already teaching her all about dragons. I even pulled out my dragon cards!" Fishlegs said excitedly. Heather rolled her eyes but smiled at her geeky husband.

I just smiled and listened as everyone talked and shared old stories. Snotlout and Dagur were telling Willow all about their daring adventures. Hiccup was geeking out with Fishlegs. And the twins were giving Heather their excellent parenting advice. I laughed quietly and placed my hand over my, now very round, belly. I loved how we were all still friends, even after all these years we found time to hang out together.

While I was looking around at all my friends is when I felt the first contraction. I didn't think much of, Valka had told me I would be having a few every now and then between now and when the baby is born.

Several more came after that, slowly increasing in strength, making me stand up and take a few steps to try to walk it off. Hiccup was the only one to notice and he got up and walked over to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand over my baby bump.

"Yeah, it is just a few contractions. Your mom said this is normal at this stage," I said, groaning slightly. Then I felt something wet sliding down my legs. My eyes widened and I looked down. A small puddle had formed around my feet. I looked up at my husband, whose eyes were as wide as the plates in the Great Hall.

"Astrid, is that supposed to happen?" he asked. I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Only if I am going into labor…" I whispered.

By then the others started to catch on that something was going on.

"So is that what you are doing? I mean is that, uh… are you?" Hiccup stammered.

"I think so, let's get Valka," I said, groaning as I experienced another contraction.

"Guys, what's going on?" Tuffnut asked.

"We're having a baby," I said as calmly as I could. The others all jumped up and ran over, asking what they could do to help and seeing if I needed anything.

"Now, when birthing a child it is best to squat down and just let it fall out," Tuffnut said, using one of his weird accents.

"Ah, correct, dear brother!" Ruff agreed.

"Yeah, I am not doing that. Can somebody get Valka? Hiccup, let's go home. Now please," I said. The contractions were getting more intense. Hiccup helped me walk up the path to our house and up to our bedroom.

We were having a baby.


	14. How to Become Parents

How to Become Parents

"Hiccup, I don't know what I'm doing," I got out between groans. I was in our bedroom now, but I refused to lie down. I was pacing back and forth, grabbing onto Hiccup's arm whenever another contraction started.

"I don't either, babe, but I do wish you would come lie down," he said, trying to lead me to our bed.

"I don't want to yet, if I do then I really am having a baby," I said nervously. I tried to hide the tears forming in my eyes, but Hiccup saw them.

"Hey, Astrid, look at me," he said, grabbing my shoulders firmly to hold me still.

"What?" I asked, my breathing becoming heavier.

"We are having this baby. Pacing the room isn't going to keep it from happening. Astrid, we have wanted this for years now. And yes, neither of us know what the heck we are doing, but we can learn together. We won't be perfect, we will make mistakes, but our kid will know we love them more than anything in the world. I'm scared, same as you, but we can do this. Hiccup and Astrid forever, remember?" He smiled and kissed my cheek.

I took several deep breaths and looked up at him. "Forever," I whispered.

I kissed him and let him lead me to our bed. Then we heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Valka burst into the room with Gobber following close behind her.

"Uh, I understand you being here, mom, but Gobber?" Hiccup asked confusedly.

"Oh you'd be surprised how many babies I've helped birth, laddie," Gobber said.

"He helped deliver you, Hiccup," Valka said. Gobber nodded and went to get some lanterns from the forge.

While Hiccup processed that information, Valka helped me to the edge of the bed. She had me sit with my legs apart and my knees bent. She and Hiccup helped me out of my leggings and placed a blanket over my lap so I could still have some privacy. They piled the pillows up and had Hiccup sit behind me to support me. By now the contractions were much worse than before. It was all I could do not to yell or punch something.

"Mom, what do we do now?" Hiccup asked.

"Now, we help her breathe through the contractions and we wait," Valka said calmly.

It had been several hours and I still hadn't been able to start pushing. Valka said I wasn't ready yet, but I was praying that I would be soon. I was sweaty and out of breath. Hiccup was trying to help but "breathe, Astrid, breathe. You're doing great!" was getting old real fast. I didn't listen to him whenever he said that. What I did do is squeeze his hand and curse at him every time a new wave of pain came over me.

"Why the hell did I let you put this demon inside me? You are never touching me again! Oh my gods I hate you!" I screamed. I'd have to tell him I didn't mean it later, but at the time… I am still not sure if I meant it or not at the time.

I had been laboring all night, eventually yelling with each contraction. Gobber had set up some lanterns so that Valka could see. She checked to see if I was ready to push every thirty minutes or so. Soon the sun had come up with still no sign of a baby. It was well into the morning when Valka smiled and exclaimed, "Okay, Astrid, you are ready to push!"

I was already exhausted. I looked back at Hiccup, squeezing his hand weakly.

"Babe, I don't think I can do this," I groaned. Another contraction started and I cried out in pain, squeezing my husband's hand so hard I was surprised I hadn't broken it yet.

"Astrid, don't say that. You are so close! Just a little longer and we will be holding our baby!" Hiccup encouraged.

I groaned and prepared for the next contraction. As soon as it started Valka was telling me to push as hard as I could. After about an hour of pushing Valka said, "Okay, I see the head, stop pushing! Just let your body do its job for now."

I leaned back on Hiccup. Even though I didn't have to push for a few minutes, the pain was still unbearable. From the look on Hiccup's face, I could tell he never wanted to put me through this again.

"Astrid the head is out, start pushing again!" Valka said excitedly. Gobber hobbled over, a blanket ready for the baby.

I screamed as I pushed as hard as I could.

"One more, lass," Gobber said.

I screamed again as I pushed one last time. Then it was all done. The cries of a baby filled the room.

"Oh, Hiccup, Astrid, you have a daughter!" Valka said, tears in her eyes as she and Gobber cut the cord and handed her to me.

She was tiny. Her face was all scrunched up and red and she hadn't been cleaned yet, but she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Hiccup leaned over me, a look of awe in his face as he saw our daughter for the first time.

"Hi, baby," I giggled quietly, tears forming. "I'm your mommy and I love you so much," I whispered, kissing the screaming baby's nose.

"And I'm your daddy," Hiccup said quietly. He let her wrap her tiny fist around his finger. Valka and Gobber then took the baby to be cleaned, leaving Hiccup and I alone.

"We have a daughter…" Hiccup said in disbelief.

"We do," I said, beaming up at him. He smiled at me and kissed me softly.

"I love you. You are so amazing," he told me, pulling me close to him.

"I love you too," I said as I kissed him again. We looked into each other's eyes. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking the same thing. We wished that Toothless and Stormfly had been here. The dragons would have been so excited. Though they couldn't be here now, Hiccup and I were hopeful that our kids would one day get to meet our best friends.

Valka and Gobber came back in and handed the baby to Hiccup.

"Have you decided on a name for the wee lass?" Gobber asked.

Hiccup and I smiled and looked at each other.

"We have actually," Hiccup said.

"And?" Valka asked.

At the same time, Hiccup and I said, "Zephyr Camicazi Haddock."


	15. How to Call Your Dragon

How to Call Your Dragon

_*present*_

"And that's the story of you, baby girl," I said, smiling at my daughter. Zephyr smiled and looked at us.

"I'm glad I have you two as my parents," she said, reaching out to hug us both.

Then Nuffink burst through the door, his face portraying a mix of emotions, but the predominant one was one I was all too familiar with - fear.

"Nuffink, what's wrong?"

"It's Eira. Buffnut just ran into the village saying she was injured and he needed help. Gobber sent me to get you, dad," he said, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees to help him catch his breath.

None of us responded. Zephyr ran upstairs to change out of her dress, braiding her hair as she ran. Hiccup and I ran as fast as we could out of the house and down to the village. A small crowd of people had gathered in the center. Hiccup and I squeezed through the crowd to Buffnut and his father, Tuffnut, who were in the middle. The son was slightly taller than his father and just slightly more muscular. He had the same hair and goofy grin though. He was also a bit of a prankster, much like his father and his aunt.

"What happened?" I asked quickly.

"Where is she?" Hiccup asked worriedly.

"We were just out at the cove and then it happened and I can't reach her!" Buffnut said.

I looked over at my husband.

"Take us there, now!" I said.

Buffnut started running towards the cove. By then Zephyr, who had changed back into her everyday clothes, and Nuffink had caught up to us and ran alongside us. The twins came too. It seemed to take forever to reach the cove. When we finally got there we noticed a cavern in the ground that hadn't been there before. I glanced over at my husband and he looked back at me worriedly. We all ran over to the cavern. It was long and deep and sharp rocks lined the walls.

"W-we were just kissing and t-the ground started shaking and it j-just opened up! I tried to catch her, I really did," Buffnut stammered nervously. I cautiously looked over the edge of the crevice. It was too deep. "Hiccup if she fell all the way to the bottom…." I said quietly.

"No, she landed on a ledge!" Buff said quickly. He took us over to the end of the crevice. We looked over the edge and there was our baby. She was laying on her back, her hair was dirty and there was a patch of blood in it. She appeared to be unconscious. Her arm was bleeding as was a spot on her head.

"Hiccup…" I muttered.

"I know, we'll get her. I can rappel down the edge," he suggested.

"No the edges are too sharp, they'd cut the rope," Ruffnut pointed out.

For once she was actually right.

"What I wouldn't give to have Toothless right now…" Hiccup whispered. I knew he hadn't meant for anyone to hear that, but I had heard him. I was thinking the same thing. She was so far down, we needed a dragon.

"So we have ruled out a rope, ladder, and attaching ourselves to a bunch of birds and having them fly us down…." Tuffnut said.

"Yeah and don't forget that we scrapped the finding an animal with a really really long tail," Ruffnut reminded him.

"Oh, right, thank you, dear sister Ruff. So that means we don't have any other choice…" Tuff said, looking at Hiccup.

They both spoke at the same time,

"I have to call Toothless…"

"Wait until my beard grows long enough to reach her."

We all looked at Tuffnut.

"Or we could call Toothless. Wait, you can do that?" he asked.

I watched my husband get up and walk over to a group of rocks by the lake. He reached between them and pulled out a horn with a Night Fury painted on the side.

"Toothless and I made it together a long time ago, back when we first met," he explained, "if either of us blew into it we would know the other is in trouble."

"Hiccup, will he be able to hear it? He is in the Hidden World now…" I reminded him.

"I think if I can blow into it in front of our watch tower horns, the sound will be transmitted at a much higher volume…." he said quietly, almost as if he was telling the plan to himself. He got up and started running back towards town. Nuffink followed close behind him.

I sat at the edge of the crevice, looking down at my youngest child. She was starting to wake up.

"Baby, don't move. You'll be okay. Your father went to call for help. Just stay as still as you can," I said as calmly as I could. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with fear.

"Mom," she yelled weakly.

"Yes baby, just stay still," I told her once again. Zephyr was holding my hand tightly.

"Is Buffnut okay?" Eira asked from the ledge she had landed on.

"Yes, baby, he is okay. But I need you to stay still, don't move. Understand?" I instructed.

Eira nodded slightly. I sighed and rested my head on Zephyr's shoulder, taking deep breaths to try to calm down.

That is when we heard it. The loud, low, sound of a horn. It nearly shook the ground.

"Is that dad?" Zephyr asked.

I nodded. "Now we just pray to the gods that Toothless hears it…" I whispered.

* * *

**Hello all, **

**It has come to my attention that it is a bit confusing with them being on New Berk and me talking about the Cove. Honestly, I only saw HTTYD 3 one time and the New Berk aspect completely slipped my mind. I will finish out this substory line with the Cove and then I will continue with them being on New Berk. I apologize for any confusion! I didn't even think about this aspect! **

**Sincerely,**

**EverAfterWritings**


	16. How to Act Fast

How to Act Fast

The sound shook the ground for almost ten minutes. When it stopped everyone looked to the sky, desperately hoping the call had been heard. Hiccup and Nuffink returned to the cavern and sat beside me and Zephyr.

"So, uh, did it work?" Ruffnut asked.

"We'll see. Is she okay?" my husband asked.

"She is conscious. I told her not to move," I said quietly.

We waited for what felt like forever. The sun had moved from the East to the West and still no sign of the dragons.

"Okay we have to come up with a plan B," Hiccup said, standing up.

"Why?" Tuffnut asked.

We all looked at him, annoyance on our faces.

"Because the dragons aren't coming Tuff," I said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah they are," he said, "see?" he pointed behind us in the sky.

We all looked back and saw three figures flying towards us. One was black as night, the other blue, and a third was white. We all jumped up excitedly.

"Eira, we are going to get you out. Don't worry baby just hold on a little bit longer," I yelled down the crevice.

She was losing blood. We needed to work fast.

The dragons landed in the Cove. It was Toothless, Stormfly, and the Light Fury. Hiccup ran to Toothless, getting tackled halfway there. I ran to my girl, Stormfly.

"Stormfly! Oh, I've missed you, girl!" I said excitedly. I hugged her and scratched that spot under her chin. She purred and rubbed against me. I looked over at my husband who was attempting to stand up but kept getting knocked back down by the enthusiastic Night Fury. Hiccup eventually got up and held Toothless's head still, laughing.

"Stormfly, I need your help," I said, turning to my dragon.

Stormfly squawked curiously.

"My baby, Eira, is stuck in the crevice there," I pointed to the crack in the ground, "Can you help us get her out?"

Stormfly and Toothless walked over to the crevice, the Light Fury stayed behind.

"Do you think we can get her, bud?" Hiccup asked his friend. Toothless purred in response.

"Okay, it should be wide enough that we can just fly down and get her… Do you think you could do that?" the chief asked. Toothless smiled and nodded his head, motioning for Hiccup to climb on. I watched as my husband jumped onto the dragon's back. Even after all these years, he did it so naturally. Toothless spread his wings and took off high in the sky before diving down into the crevice, my husband holding onto his back. I ran to the edge and looked over, my children and Stormfly close behind. The Light Fury had flown up to watch from above.

Hiccup and Toothless raced down the length of the crevice, stopping at Eira's ledge.

"I've got you, baby. You're going to be okay," I heard Hiccup whisper.

Eira was limp, too weak to hold herself up. Hiccup carried her and held her in his arms as he sat on Toothless's back. That's when I noticed something crawling up the walls of the crevice.

"Babe, look out!" I yelled as a Slitherwing slid up after him, its jaws wide and waiting for its next meal.

"Get us out of here, bud!" Hiccup yelled. The Light Fury started shooting plasma blasts on the walls, making the crevice start to collapse into itself.

The Slitherwing was still gaining on my husband.

"Stormfly, spine shot!" I yelled. Stormfly remembered the command and shot her spines, hitting the Slitherwings open mouth. It stopped and screeched in pain. The Light Fury shot one more plasma blast causing the rest of the crevice to collapse into itself, burying the Slitherwing.

"Come on, babe! Get out of there!" I yelled.

The rocks were crumbling just behind Toothless, catching up to them. Toothless turned sharply and shot straight up into the air.

Then the crevice closed completely. Everyone was breathing heavily. My heart was racing. I reached out to my two oldest kids and they came and hugged me. Toothless landed behind us and I ran over to my husband and daughter. Eira was unconscious again. Hiccup climbed off Toothless's back and I started to cry in relief, brushing my daughter's hair out of her face. I hear Stormfly squawk behind me. I laughed through the tears.

"Stormfly, this is Eira. And you have met Zephyr and Nuffink," I said, motioning for my other kids to come over. Stormfly purred and nudged them with her beak. Zephyr and Nuffink laughed and reached their hands out to pet her.

"I remember you, girl," Zephyr said, petting Stormfly's neck.

Nuffink had gone over to say hello to Toothless.

"Buff, go get my mom," Hiccup ordered. Buff ran to get Valka so she could take care of Eira.

I was so glad that my youngest was safe. I walked over and sat down next to where she was laying down on the grass. I gently lifted her head into my lap and started cleaning her face off. Hiccup and I would talk about her and Buffnut later, right now I was just glad to be able to hold her in my arms.

"Mom?" Eira whispered.

"Yes, baby. You're okay now," I whispered soothingly.

"My arm hurts… So does my back," the young girl groaned.

"Grandma will be here soon to make you feel better, baby girl," I reassured her.

"Can you tell me a story? Just so I have a distraction…" Eira asked shyly.

"Sure sweetheart. What do you want to hear?" I asked.

"Tell me about when I was little," she whispered.

I smiled. "Okay, so there was this one time when you were two that you desperately wanted to play outside, even though it was storming outside. Zephyr was about seven and Nuffink was five…"


	17. How to Resolve an Argument

How to Resolve an Argument

_*11 years ago*_

"Out!" little Eira yelled as loudly as she could.

I sighed and walked over to her. "Baby, you can't go play outside. It is storming," I explained for the hundredth time. This only made Eira start to scream and cry, which was too much for my tired nerves. I groaned loudly and scooped her up. I plopped her down in the crib and gave her a toy to play with. She threw the toy and continued to scream.

"Mom! Nuffink took my Deadly Nadder figure!" Zephyr yelled. She ran into the room, followed closely by her brother.

"I did not! This one is mine!" he yelled louder.

"No, it isn't! I have the blue one! You have the green one!" Zephyr argued.

Between Eira screaming and Zephyr and Nuffink fighting, I was about to explode.

"Enough!" I yelled loud enough for all three sets of eyes to go wide and watch me. It was quiet, finally.

"Nuffink, your father made you the green one, give Zephyr the blue one and both of you go play quietly upstairs," I instructed. They ran upstairs quietly and went to their room. I sat down and looked at the toddler in her crib.

"I'm really sorry, but you cannot play outside when it is raining," I explained again, knowing she wouldn't understand but praying she would just stay quiet. Eira stuck her thumb in her mouth, sucking on it contentedly. She picked up a Night Fury stuffie and held it close. She laid down and actually went to sleep.

I sighed in relief and slouched in my seat. The quiet was short lived. Not ten minutes later I heard "Mom!" again and I groaned and held my head in my hands. This time it was Nuffink.

"Mom! Zephyr said I will never be a good chief because I don't know how to read well yet and I am too weak!" he said, tears in his eyes. Zephyr came down, yelling in protest, trying to keep from getting in trouble. The noises woke up Eira, who then proceeded to start screaming again.

Then I heard a sound I had been waiting to hear all day - the squeak of the front door's hinges.

Hiccup walked in and looked around at the mess. The two older kids were full on brawling now, using their miniature weapons against each other. Eira was screaming and throwing the stuffies and blankets out of her crib.

"What is going on in here?" he yelled to be heard over the commotion.

"Daddy!" Zephyr and Nuffink yelled excitedly and ran to see him.

"No hugs yet. Why were you trying to kill each other?" he asked. He walked over and picked up Eira. She immediately stopped crying and giggled happily in his arms. She reached her tiny hands up to play with his beard. My husband sat down on our couch next to me and put one arm around my shoulders. The brawlers stood in front of us, their weapons were forgotten in the corner of the room.

"Zephyr said I won't be a good chief because I am too weak and can't read very well yet," he said.

"Well, he said I won't ever be a warrior like mom because I am too skinny!" Zephyr whined.

I sighed and looked at our kids. Zephyr was definitely more like her father. She was built like him, had the same hair color, and shared the same interests. But ever since she was little she had wanted to be a warrior like I had been back in my day - I was still the best ax wielder in all of Berk. Nuffink, on the other hand, took after me. He enjoyed sparring and was incredibly stubborn. He was strong for his age but wasn't quite strong enough to beat his sister yet.

"Well both of you said some things that weren't very nice," Hiccup said. They both looked down at their feet.

"Nuffink, you are so much like your mother. Don't worry about being weaker right now, it is just because you are still little. When you start growing you will get stronger and stronger until you are the strongest viking on Berk! And you are very wise for your age, you will make an excellent chief to come after me," Hiccup reassured the small boy. Nuffink grinned from ear to ear and hugged his daddy.

"Zephyr, sweetheart, you are a very determined girl, much like your mom. That will make you a warrior like her. You are very good at strategizing, which will make you a very important viking woman to have around when you are older. Sure you are pretty skinny right now, but that's how I was when I was little. And now look at me, still kind of long and lanky, but strong enough to hammer out the heaviest metals in the forge," he told her. She smiled at him.

"Thanks, daddy," she said.

"You're welcome. Now both of you go play nicely," he said.

Both of them ran upstairs, laughing the entire way. I sighed and leaned my head on my husband's shoulder.

"How do you always know what to say? They have been arguing all day. I was getting too close to my noise limit," I said.

"I don't know. I just start talking and hope that whatever comes out of my mouth is good," Hiccup chuckled. Eira had fallen back asleep so he gently put her in her crib. He turned his attention to me and wrapped me in his arms. I cuddled against his chest.

"I don't know what to do with those two. They tried to kill each other five times today. Nuffink even got a small cut from his own ax. Nothing serious, but still…" I said.

Hiccup chuckled and said, "They are vikings, it is an occupational hazard."

I laughed and kissed him. "That's true," I whispered.

"Why was Eira crying all day?" Hiccup asked.

"Because she wanted to play outside, but it was storming," I explained.

Hiccup chuckled, "I think she and my mom will get along fantastically when Eira is a bit older."

I smiled and said, "I think so too."

_*present*_

"Even then, you were our little adventurer. You always wanted to be outside in the grass," I said softly.

Eira smiled up at me. "I do like outside. And I love working with grandma," she said.

"See? Even though that was a stressful day, it is still one of my favorite memories," I said, gently stroking my daughter's hair.

"I like that story too," Eira whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

I looked up at my husband and asked, "Babe, where is your mom?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was in the fields," he responded.

Zephyr and Nuffink were occupying the dragons. The twins were also talking to Toothless, asking how Barf and Belch were. Hiccup, Eira, and I laughed when Toothless plasma blasted Tuffnut's feet. The dragon had gotten annoyed with the viking's never-ending questions.

Eira coughed and groaned in pain.

"I know, baby. It'll be okay. Grandma will be here soon. Then you will be all better," I reassured her.

The young viking slowly shut her eyes. I noticed her head had stopped bleeding, but there was a wound on her stomach we hadn't noticed before.

"Hiccup!" I said urgently, pointing to the growing red spot and a small on her shirt.

He got his knife out and cut the bottom half of her shirt open. A thin spear-like rock from the side of the cavern had impaled her next to her belly button. We hadn't even noticed because it was so small and her head had been a pressing distraction. The rock itself had actually slowed the bleeding, but when it had started coming loose…

"Hiccup…" I whispered worriedly.

"Okay, hold her," he said. He got his knife and slowly started pulling the shard out. My daughter groaned and gritted her teeth.

"It's okay, baby. It's just your father. It will be over in a minute," I said as calmly as I could. In reality, I was panicking. The shard just appeared to keep coming. How deep had it gone?

The others had heard the noise and had run over to see what was going on.

"Oh my gods!" Zephyr exclaimed. Nuffink quickly wrapped his arms around his older sister, who had started crying softly. None of us had realized just how badly she was hurt.

When Hiccup finally removed the shard he tore a piece of his tunic off the bottom and pressed it against the puncture wound, hoping the pressure would slow the bleeding until Valka arrived. It was definitely too dangerous to move her now.

"I'm here!"

We all looked up and saw Valka and Buffnut running towards us.

Valka got on her knees and started with the wound on Eira's stomach first.

"Did it hit anything important?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. It appears to be a clean cut…" she said as she kept the pressure on the wound.

"Hiccup, it isn't going to stop bleeding on its own. I have to stitch it up," she said.

I looked away as she started using a needle and thread to stitch my daughter up.

"Okay, son, just keep the pressure on it," she instructed as she finished up several minutes later.

She moved on to cleaning the blood off Eira's head so she could see how bad the injury was.

"Don't worry. Head injuries tend to bleed a lot. It is only a small cut. It will heal up in a few days.

She started having Eira move her fingers, then her wrists, then her elbows, and continued all the way across her body and down to her toes. The only one she couldn't move without screaming in pain was her left arm.

"I suspect it is broken," Valka said. She looked up at me. "This will hurt," she said. I held Eira tightly as Valka set her arm in place. I shut my eyes tight, tears on my cheeks after hearing my daughter scream. Valka made a makeshift splint and wrapped her granddaughter's arm tightly so it couldn't be moved.

"I will get her a more permanent one back in the village," she explained. She smiled at Eira.

"You need to be more careful, my love," she teased. Eira giggled quietly.

Toothless helped us carry Eira back to our house. We made sure to keep the dragons out of sight of the other villagers.

"One second, I'll catch up," Hiccup told me. He grabbed Buff's arm and held him back while the rest of us went home. I stayed back several feet down the path to watch.

"I don't want you spending any more time with my daughter," Hiccup told him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But, Chief Hiccup, sir, I really didn't mean for her to get hurt! I love your daughter, sir," Buffnut explained.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, you two are too young for this. Go home, Buffnut. I don't ever want to see you within a hundred feet of my daughter, understand?" he said harshly.

Buffnut stepped back. "Eira won't like this…" he muttered.

"Well, I am her father. She is still under my care. When she is eighteen, if she wants to be with you, I can't stop you. But until then, I am going to keep people like you away," Hiccup said, raising his voice.

Buffnut nodded and ran into town towards his house.

I walked over to my husband and took his hand in mine.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked quietly.

"I guess we will find out," I said.

We walked back to the house together.


	18. How to Realize You're Wrong

How to Realize You're Wrong

Eira healed fairly quickly. She was only stuck inside for a week. Honestly, that nearly killed her - more so than the injuries. She has always been a free spirit.

Hiccup hadn't told her about his conversation with Buffnut yet. I think he was scared.

"You have to tell her," I said. Hiccup and I were in his office together. Gobber was pounding out a shield in the forge.

"I know, but she is going to be so mad at me," he groaned, leaning on his desk.

"That's selfish…" I said, pulling myself up and sitting on his desk.

"I know it is…" Hiccup muttered.

"Tell her," I said simply. I got up and started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I am going home. Tell her," I said. Walking out the door.

I walked through the forge, passing Gobber on my way.

"Where are you off to, Astrid?" he asked, setting down the sword he was working on.

"I'm heading home. When Hiccup comes out of that office of his, tell him I said to tell her," I said, waving as I walked out the door.

"Tell who what, lassie?" Gobber called after me. "Eh they are a strange bunch, them Haddocks…" he muttered, getting back to work.

I walked into the house and hung my cloak up.

"Eira! I'm home!" I called. There was no answer. I walked over to the bottom of the stairs.

"Eira?" I called again. Again there was no answer. I walked up to her room. Her window was open.

"Oh gods… Again? Really?" I muttered. I grabbed my cloak and started walking back to the forge.

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

Astrid was right. I needed to tell Eira what I had told Buffnut. They were both too young - barely teenagers! That was too young to be doing the things they were doing, right? I just don't want my baby girl to get hurt.

"Dad!"

I heard a scream from outside. Oh boy…

Eira stormed into my office, Buffnut in tow.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, Eira is missing," my wife ran in as well. Then she saw our daughter and Buff and muttered a quiet, "Oh, you found her…"

"Dad, why did you tell Buffnut he couldn't see me anymore? That is so unfair!" Eira yelled.

I sighed and rubbed my neck. "I know, baby, but I did it for your own good. I am only doing what is best for you," I said as calmly as I could.

"I am thirteen! I can decide what is best for me!" she yelled again. Buffnut shrank back, probably trying to blend in with the wall. Astrid walked over and stood next to him.

"Eira, you are too young to have a boyfriend. You don't know what you are doing or what you are feeling," I explained.

"What, and you do?" she scoffed. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes! I do know! I know what it's like to be experiencing feelings like you are now. And I know you don't understand them! I just don't want you to get hurt, sweetheart. I am doing this because I love you!" I yelled.

Eira had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. "No you are doing this because you don't want me to grow up," she said, her voice cracking. "Well, guess what dad! You don't get to decide what I can and can't do when it comes to my feelings," she yelled. She marched over to Buffnut and grabbed his shirt. She pulled him towards her and kissed him deeply.

"Eira…" I muttered.

Eira pulled away and turned to look at me. "I love him, dad. You are not the one to decide if I can or cannot be with him," she said. She grabbed Buffnut's hand and stormed out of the forge.

I yelled in frustration, banging my fist on my desk.

Astrid walked up behind me. "Am I in the wrong? Did I do something to absolutely ruin our daughter's life?" I asked her.

"Well, I think both of you are in the wrong. I think she is reacting harshly and I think you could have gone a bit easier on the two of them," she said.

I sighed and sat down on the ground, putting my head in my hands.

"Did I just lose my daughter?" I asked, my voice choking.

"No, babe, you didn't. She still loves you. She is a teenager. They are resilient. Just give her some space, she'll bounce back," my wife reassured me.

I nodded and leaned into her embrace.

"Do you remember when we first started dating?" she asked.

I chuckled and nodded. "But we were eighteen," I reminded her.

"That is true, but after a while, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. That is what our daughter is feeling right now," she explained.

"Oh gods I didn't want to know that," I groaned.

"No, but you needed to hear that. Because eventually, she will calm down. Just like we did. She is just figuring things out. Our job is to be there when she needs us," she said.

I nodded. "You, Astrid Haddock, are wise beyond your years. You know that, right?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her.

"I know, but I like to hear you say it," she laughed.

I smiled and kissed her. "But did we ever really grow out of the whole 'can't keep our hands off each other' thing?" I teased, running my hands down her sides to rest on her waist. She rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Yeah, maybe your right. But there is no way I am sleeping with you in your office that I so despise," she said, walking out the door. I smiled and jumped up to chase her. We ran past Gobber on our way out.

"Aye… Those crazy Haddocks…" he chuckled.


	19. How to Talk to Your Daughter

How to Talk to Your Daughter

_*Eira's Point of View*_

"Can you believe my father?" I asked as I paced the ground. Buff and I had gone to his family's stables. We were in the loft.

"I don't know, babe. I think he just wants to make sure you don't get hurt," Buff said from his spot in the hay.

"But we are old enough. I love you, you love me…" I said, smiling at my boyfriend. I walked over and sat on his lap.

Buffnut hugged me close. "Just two more months, love," he whispered.

"I know. Two more months and I'll be fourteen. Then we can get married," I said excitedly.

In Berk, you could legally get married at fourteen. My dad didn't like that law and tried to change it multiple times, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"That's right!" Buffnut said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Speaking of getting married," I said, "Zephyr's wedding is next week. Will you be my date to the wedding?"

Buffnut chuckled, "Of course, babe."

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he replied, kissing me again.

"So, I need a place to stay. I don't want to stay at home," I said.

"Well, I would offer to let you stay with us, but my dad wouldn't like that," Buffnut said.

"Yeah, that's okay. I might know a place in the forest. I stumbled on this little shack not too long ago. I was thinking maybe we could go check it out tonight?" I suggested.

Buffnut smiled. "Anything you want, baby. I'll be out by your window around dinner time," he said.

"Good," I said simply, kissing him once again.

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

"Have you decided how you want to do your hair, baby?" I asked, gently running a brush through Zephyr's hair.

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe that braid crown you did when I went on my first date with Spikelout… I think he would like that," Zephyr said.

I smiled at her. "I think that's a great idea. Let's try it," I said. I finished brushing her auburn hair started braiding it all the way around her head. When I got to the other side of her temple I braided the rest of her hair down and twisted it into a bun that rested at the nape of her neck. I walked around to the front of her and gently pulled two curls out of the braid to frame her face. Zephyr looked into the mirror and smiled.

"I love it, mom," she whispered.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetheart. Spike is one lucky guy to be marrying my beautiful girl," I told her. To my surprise, Zephyr started to cry softly. I knelt in front of her and wrapped my hands around hers.

"Zephyr, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"I, uh, I am scared, mom," Zephyr said hesitantly. I knew she hated to admit when she was scared or upset about something. She was my strong baby.

"Why?" I asked, smiling at her to let her know I was glad she was telling me.

"What if I am not cut out to be a wife? What if I am really bad at it?" she cried.

"Zephyr, sweetheart," I hugged my crying daughter. "You are going to be an amazing wife. You are so caring and you are so wise for your age. You are going to be amazing. And you and Spikelout love each other so much, you will be able to do anything together. I was nervous when I was going to marry your father, but I realized that we were already basically married. A wedding was just to make it official," I laughed slightly.

Zephyr smiled and said, "You were scared too?"

"Hell yes, I was! I was terrified that I'd be a terrible wife. But I started thinking about Hiccup and how happy I am when I am with him and I reminded myself that I wanted to be with him the rest of my life. I thought about how much I loved him, and all the fears and nerves went away," I told my daughter.

Zephyr sighed and looked down at her lap. "Were you, um… were you scared when you found out you were pregnant with me?" she asked quietly.

I sat back, surprised by the question. "Yes, I guess I was. Why do you ask?" I asked softly.

"No reason, mom. I have to get ready to go. Spike and I are going for a walk together," my daughter said, smiling at me. She got up and started taking her hair down and rebraiding it straight down.

"Okay, Zephyr. Have fun," I said.

Later that day Hiccup and I were eating dinner with Nuffink. Eira had gone to her room, claiming she wasn't hungry, and Zephyr was having dinner with the Jorgensons.

"Nuffink, have you noticed Zephyr acting weird?" I asked.

Nuffink looked up from the fish on his plate. "Um… Define weird," he said. Hiccup was watching us curiously now.

"I don't know… Has she been really tired or not feeling well?" I asked.

Nuffink thought for a few minutes. "Well, we were walking in town last week and she asked me not to tell anybody this… but I am still worried about her," he said quietly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, she, uh, she got sick. Like she threw up in a trash barrel. I'm not sure why. I asked if she was okay and she said she was fine though," he said.

I nodded. "Hiccup, honey, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" I asked.

Hiccup nodded and walked into the kitchen with me.

"What's going on, milady?" he asked, leaning back on the kitchen counter.

I sighed and looked down. "I think Zephyr is pregnant."


	20. How to Fail at Remaining Calm

How to Fail at Remaining Calm

"What makes you say that?" Hiccup asked, looking concerned.

"Earlier, when I was doing her hair, she just out of the blue broke down crying," I said quietly, "Then she said she was scared and didn't think she would be a good wife. But then she asked if I was scared when I found out I was pregnant with her."

"Okay… That is very unlike her," Hiccup agreed with me.

"And then what Nuffink said about her randomly getting sick…" I said, raising my hand to gesture towards the room where our son was finishing his dinner.

"Yeah, that is a fair point too. But, Astrid, we won't know anything unless we ask her. When she gets home we can talk to her," Hiccup said, walking over to hug me.

"What if she is?" I asked.

"Well, she is getting married next week so she should be fine," Hiccup said. Getting pregnant before marriage in the viking town was frowned upon. It wasn't against any rules or anything, but people didn't take kindly to it - especially if you were a child of the chief.

"I think what we need to do right now is talk to our daughter," I said calmly.

Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we will wait for her to get home," I said.

* * *

_*Eira's Point of View*_

I wonder if they've noticed I am gone yet. Buffnut and I were walking in the woods towards the shack I had seen.

"So, where did you say it was?" Buff asked, flipping his blonde braid back behind him.

"Not too far," I reassured him.

We walked for another ten minutes or so and then we came to a small shack, leaning haphazardly between two trees.

"There it is!" I said excitedly.

"Uh, Eira, it looks a little dangerous," Buff said nervously.

"Oh don't worry. I'll only be here for two months. I'll be fine," I reassured him.

"If you say so," he said, obviously still a little weary of the shack.

I took his hand and pulled him towards the little house. We walked inside. It was just one room. There was an old rusty furnace in one corner, a rickety table and one chair in the middle of the room, and a lopsided bed in another corner. I smiled as I looked around.

"Who do you think lived here?" Buff asked.

"I don't know," I said, pulling the blanket off the bed to check for moth holes.

"Well, are they coming back? They might not take kindly to somebody using their stuff," Buff said. He was still not sure about the new living arrangements.

"Oh, don't be such a worrier. I will be fine!" I said, taking his hands in mine.

"I don't know, babe…" he trailed off.

"Hey, I am going to be fine! It is only until I turn 14! And you can visit me," I said.

"Fine!" Buff folded.

I laughed and kissed him.

"I know you can't visit every day, and that is fine. Just as long as you are here more than just once a week?" I asked.

"I will do my best, Eira," Buff said. He smiled and kissed me.

I sighed and walked over to the bed. I picked up the pillow and fluffed it. I noticed something shining on the fabric. Reaching over the pillow I gently pulled a thin red hair from the fabric. I dropped it on the floor, paying no mind to it.

"Okay, babe, it's getting kinda late. I am going to head out," Buff said, kissing my cheek.

"Bye, Buff. love you, babe," I said as he walked out the door.

I took a bucket down to the creek that ran near the shack and got some water. I had this strange feeling that I was being watched, but I shook it off as paranoia. I went back to the shack and settled in for the night.

* * *

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

Zephyr walked through the front door and into the living room where Hiccup and I were waiting.

"Hi, baby. How was dinner?" I asked.

"It was fine… What's going on?" she asked.

"Why don't you come sit down with us?" Hiccup suggested.

Zephyr slowly walked over and sat by the hearth across from us.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Why don't you tell us," I said gently.

"What do you mean?" Zephyr asked, playing with the end of her braid nervously.

"We have just noticed that you haven't really been yourself lately, sweetheart. You can talk to us about anything, you know that," Hiccup told her, his voice soft and gentle.

I closed my eyes and looked down as my daughter started crying. Hiccup took his hand in mine and squeezed it gently.

I reached out and rested my hand on Zephyr's knee comfortingly.

"Mom, dad, I have to tell you something…" she said, her voice cracking.

"You can tell us, sweetheart," Hiccup said.

"I'm, um, I'm…" she started crying again. I got down and kneeled on the floor in front of her, holding her hands. Hiccup joined me, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Zephyr, are you pregnant?" I asked softly.

Zephyr covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. She nodded. Hiccup and I wrapped her in our arms.

"Baby, it's okay. It'll all be okay," we whispered to her.

"No, it won't! Not when Spikelout finds out," she cried.

"Zephyr, he loves you so much. He is going to be so excited!" Hiccup said reassuringly. I nodded in agreement.

"No, he won't! He won't be excited because it isn't his baby," the young viking sobbed.

Hiccup and I looked at each other.

"Okay, you have a few more things to explain…" I said, slightly shocked.

"Who's baby is it?" Hiccup asked seriously.

Zephyr started sobbing again, her body shaking.

"I didn't want it to happen. I wasn't strong enough," she cried.

Hiccup and I both sat back and looked at her seriously.

"Zephyr, what happened?" Hiccup asked, his voice low and serious.

"Um, this man… in the great hall… he, uh, he was drunk and I was helping Mila serve food and he grabbed me," she started crying harder.

"Baby…" I said softly, sitting next to her on the hearth and holding her close.

"He didn't let me go, mom. He just… took me," she said, her voice shaking.

I looked up at Hiccup. His face was serious and there was fire in his eyes.

"Who was it?" Hiccup asked.

"Dad, I don't know if I should…" Zephyr started to say but was interrupted by her father.

"No, this is important, who was it?" Hiccup asked, standing up.

"It was Eret," Zephyr said quietly.

"What?" Hiccup yelled.

"Not Eret, Son of Eret! Eret Jr." she explained. I looked up at Hiccup. So it was Eret's son who did this to our daughter.

"I'm going to kill him," Hiccup stated.

"Hiccup…" I cautioned.

"No, Astrid! Do you realize what he did to our daughter? She is going to be married and he knew this! Astrid, he raped our daughter and now she is pregnant!" he yelled.

Zephyr started crying harder and I hugged her.

"Hiccup, enough!" I said firmly.

Hiccup realized how he was making Zephyr more upset and sighed.

"Zephyr, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you more," he said gently. Zephyr nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Baby, why don't you go clean up. I am going to talk to your father about all this," I said. Zephyr nodded and slowly stood up. She walked over to the stairs. Nuffink had been listening from the top of the stairs. He stood up and walked with Zephyr to her room.

"Did you hear all that?" Zephyr asked him softly.

"Yeah, I did," he said. Zephyr leaned into her brother and he hugged her.

When the kids were in their room, Nuffink called down, "Hey, Eira is gone again!"

I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"This is the last thing we need right now," Hiccup said.

"Let's figure out where Eira is, then we can talk to Eret and Eret Jr," I said, grabbing my cloak from beside the door.

This was going to be a long night.


	21. How to Survive a Trip to Thorston House

How to Survive a Trip to Thorston House

"Eret!" Hiccup yelled, pushing both doors to the Great Hall open at once.

Everyone inside looked up.

"Yes?" Eret, Son of Eret, stood up.

"No, we are looking for your son," I explained, giving my husband a 'calm down' look.

"Oh, really? What did he do?" Eret asked.

Hiccup paused then yelled, "Everyone, leave! The hall is being used for a meeting."

Soon it was just the three of us.

"What did he do?" Eret asked again.

"He raped my daughter," Hiccup said. His voice was quiet but furious.

Eret's eyes widened. "And what proof do you have of this?" he asked.

"Eret, our daughter is pregnant," I said. I was angry too. Why would anyone want to hurt our Zephyr?

Eret sat down slowly. He was shocked.

"Hiccup, chief, you have to know I knew nothing of this. And I would never condone it. I want to sincerely apologize. I know that doesn't help the situation, but I truly am sorry for my son's actions. You both have done so much for me and have helped me through some difficult times. Eret Jr. knows this, I don't know why he would have hurt Zephyr like that. I do not know where he is, but I will be more than happy to help you find him, and I will make sure he takes responsibility for his actions and accepts the consequences," Eret said, looking up at both of us from his seat at a table.

"You're right, sorry doesn't help. But I do appreciate your sincerity and honesty," Hiccup said. He sighed and sat next to Eret on the bench.

"Do you have any idea at all where Eret Jr. is?" I asked.

"I saw him this morning when I was leaving our hut to go to the trade ships. I think he said something about needing to get something repaired at the tailor?" Eret said, unsure of his answer.

"Well, it's a start…" I said.

"Eret, we need you to find your son. We have to figure out where Eira is," Hiccup explained. He stood and straightened his cloak on his shoulders. A light rain had started outside.

"Yes, chief. I will find him," Eret promised. He got up and walked out the back door.

Hiccup took my hand in his and we left the Hall. We had a pretty good idea of who to ask about Eira.

We walked down the road toward the Thorston house.

The Thorston house was a strange place. Both twins lived there along with their many children. Tuffnut had been married before, but his wife was not loyal and after having six children with him, she left him for a young foreigner. Tuffnut was strong through the ordeal. He and his twin sister expanded their houses to connect, making it a very odd looking structure, and lived together with their children, Tuffnut's chickens, and Ruffnut's boars. There were twelve Thorston children in total. Ruffnut never married, but still managed to have six children. Nobody ever questioned it. She seemed happy so we left it alone.

Hiccup and I walked up to the door and cautiously knocked. We heard children screaming and playing inside.

"Somebody is at the door!" a child yelled. There were several crashes and various other noises before Ruffnut answered the door.

"What do you guys want?" she asked. She was holding the youngest Thorston, an adorable little girl with an unfortunate name - Kyckling.* All but one of Tuffnut's children had the classic 'nut' names, Kyckling being the 'one', and they ran out of 'nut' names so Ruffnut named all her children after weapons. In order of age, there was Fluffnut, Mallet, Mace, Buffnut, Cuffnut, Blade, Huffnut, twins Bow and Arrow, Muffnut, Spear, and Kyckling.

"We are looking for Buffnut. Is he here?" I asked, stepping out of the way as three children ran out of the house, chasing each other with axes and spears.

"Bow, Arrow, Muff, don't you dare kill each other! Do you hear me?!" Ruffnut yelled after the children who had been chasing each other. She looked back to us and said, "Yeah, he is here. You guys can come inside. I'll get him."

She turned around and led us to the kitchen.

"It's a wonder nobody has died here yet," Hiccup whispered to me.

I giggled and replied, "Noone that we know of." My husband chuckled and shook his head slightly.

We stepped inside. The front hallway was covered with hay and straw. Chickens were nesting all along the walls.

I looked over at Hiccup. His eyes were about as wide as mine felt. It had been a while since we had been inside the twins' house. We hesitantly sat down at the kitchen table.

Ruffnut walked over to the bottom of the stairs and yelled, "Buffnut get down here!"

Hiccup and I heard another crash upstairs and then Buffnut appeared at the top. He walked down and stopped as soon as he saw we were there.

"Uh, she's not here! She's nowhere! I don't know where she is. Bye!" he said quickly.

He tried to run back upstairs, but I grabbed the collar of his shirt. We took him outside where it was somewhat quieter.

"Oh bye! Just don't go in the backyard! Cuffnut and Mallet let the boars out again!" Ruffnut yelled after us, laughing slightly. I guess she was amused by the children's mischievous antics.

We walked several feet away from the house before we stopped and turned to Buffnut.

"Where is Eira?" I asked, grabbing the front of his tunic, my face inches from his.

His eyes widened. He knew this was not a position you wanted to get into with me. If I wanted, when I had somebody in a hold like this, I could kill them about twenty different ways.

"She made me promise not to tell! We have a plan and everything!" the boy said.

"What plan?" Hiccup asked, stepping beside me.

"She wants us to get married when she turns fourteen! She is staying somewhere else until her birthday. But don't worry! It's safe!" Buffnut explained hurriedly.

"Married?!" Hiccup yelled.

I let Buffnut go and turned to my husband.

"Hiccup, honey, calm down. They can't get married without a dowry, and you are the one that approves that. All you have to do is disapprove the dowry and it's all okay," I reminded him, making sure my voice sounded calm so he would hopefully calm down a bit too.

"You're right," he said quietly. He ran his hand over his face and to the back of his neck.

"We didn't think of a dowry!" Buffnut said. He looked down for a few seconds, thinking.

"I have exactly two pieces of gold and a ten-pound boar… is that enough, chief?" he asked.

My husband growled in a very un-hiccup like manner. I held my arm in front of him so he couldn't get to the clueless viking boy.

"Just tell us where our daughter is," I instructed.

"Well, she is definitely not in a shack in the woods," Buffnut said.

No sooner had the words left Buffnut's mouth than Hiccup had started running towards the forest.

"Thanks, Buff!" I called back over my shoulder as I ran to catch up to my husband. We were going to bring our youngest home.

_*Third Person Point of View*_

"Is it done?" the cloaked figure asked. The voice was hoarse and raspy.

The figure stood in a cave, using charcoal to draw on the walls. Eret Jr. was there with it.

"Yes, your chiefness," he said, bowing towards the figure slightly. The figure chuckled.

"Good, then my plan is working," it hissed.

"So, now do I become chief?" Eret Jr. asked.

"Not until I have my hands on that baby!" the figure yelled. It started drawing frantically on the wall.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, your chiefness," Eret Jr quickly apologized.

The figure suddenly stopped drawing and stepped back. The wall was covered with drawings.

"What have you drawn, your highness?" Eret Jr. asked.

"These pictures are from a device that held more information than the book of dragons itself!" the figure explained, "It held all the secrets of the dragons."

"What was it called?" Eret Jr asked.

"The dragon eye," the mysterious cloaked figure stated simply.

"But not to worry, you will be my new chief soon enough. As soon as I get my hands on that baby! A third generation from the dragon master himself!" the figure said excitedly.

"Of course, I will bring you the baby as soon as it is born," Eret Jr assured the figure.

"Good, now go back quickly, before you are missed. Don't speak a word of our meeting," the cloaked person instructed.

Eret Jr nodded and left the cave, running back towards the village.

The cloaked figure looked over their work on the walls of the cave. They seemed satisfied. The person picked up a piece of charcoal and quickly added one last detail to a drawing of the village chief, Hiccup Haddock.

"That's better," the person said before extinguishing the torch and leaving the cave.

* * *

*Kyckling, pronounced "Shickling" is an Old Norse word. It roughly translates to "chicken"


	22. How to Handle What Life Throws - Part 1

How to Handle What Life Throws at You - Part 1

"Eira!" I called out hoarsely. Hiccup and I had been searching for hours. Buffnut had given us very vague directions.

"Just go down to the really tall tree, then past this rock that's kinda big but small at the same time, then you go across the creek at the weird tall grass, and you're there," Buffnut had said.

He was such a helpful and descriptive viking.

"Wait, Astrid, I see something!" Hiccup said excitedly. I ran over to him and he pointed. Sure enough, there, leaning between two trees, was an old broken down shack.

"That has to be it!" I said, starting to run towards the structure. Hiccup quickly followed,

We burst through the front door. The shack was completely empty. As I stepped inside I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

I looked at the floor. There were marks that showed there had once been furniture there. There was also a hole in the wall for a furnace pipe.

"This could just be the wrong shack in the woods right?" Hiccup asked.

I didn't respond. Instead, I got down on the floor, closely examining some scratches on the old wood. I noticed there were dints on the wall like something, or somebody, had been pushed against it with great force.

"Hiccup, look at this," I said, showing him what I had found.

"There was a struggle," he said worriedly. He turned to me and said, "You don't think it could have been…" he stopped short when I held up a small skull-shaped button. Eira had some identical to it on her belt.

"Oh no," Hiccup said.

I didn't know what to think. My daughter had been in this horrid little shack and somebody, or something, had taken her.

"Hiccup we have to get back to the village," I said quickly, pocketing the button.

"Yeah I'll get some search parties together," He responded.

We left the little hut and started running back to town.

_*Eira's Point of View*_

I slowly opened my eyes. I didn't remember much. I remember going to bed and turning out the light so I could get some sleep. Then somebody had burst through the door and had lunged at me. I vaguely remember a fight. I thought I was winning, but then whoever my attacker was had held a cloth over my face and I blacked out.

I slowly focused on my surroundings, my head spinning. It was cold. That was an easy observation. It appeared that I was in some kind of small cave, my hands were chained to the wall and my feet had cuffs connecting them so I couldn't run even if my hands were free. There was a single torch by what appeared to be the only entrance to the room. On the other side of the entrance was a much larger cave with torches illuminating many strange drawings on the walls.

"She's awake," somebody from the other room whispered.

My eyes squinted to see who was coming through. Whoever it was was tall and muscular, definitely more of a masculine build. When he stepped into the light I couldn't have been more relieved.

"Eret Jr! Oh, thank the gods! You can help me get out of here," I said excitedly.

He just shook his head.

"Sorry, Eira, but I can't help you," he said.

"What? Why?" I asked. This was confusing.

"Because I told him to make sure you stay put," a raspy, but more feminine voice said from behind Eret Jr. Eret Jr stepped to the side and in walked a tall cloaked figure.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The figure slowly lowered her hood, revealing a long red braid of hair. She smiled at me. The crooked smile looked so familiar, but I couldn't place it. She motioned for Eret Jr to leave, telling him to go back to the village.

"Now, don't tell me you don't know who I am," the woman said, turning back to me. Her voice was like poison.

I looked at her for a few more seconds before saying, "You're Sylvia, my father's Aunt."

* * *

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

Hiccup had told me he would handle the search parties. He suggested I go home and check on Zephyr. Our little family had some pretty big bumps in the road come up all at once. It was so stressful, and I knew Hiccup was right. Zephyr needed at least one of us with her.

As I opened the front door at our house, Nuffink quietly walked down the stairs and held a finger to his mouth.

"She's asleep," he whispered.

"Is she okay?" I asked quietly.

Nuffink nodded in response. He looked down at the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He shook his head. I sighed and held my arms out to him. I knew being stuck in the middle of all this had to have been tough on him. He slowly walked into my embrace, leaning against me and resting his head on my shoulder. I gently stroked his hair, the same way I did when he was young.

"Thank you," I whispered to my son.

He looked up at me. "For what, mom?" he asked.

"For taking care of Zephyr, for being so strong through all this, and for being my amazing son," I whispered. He smiled and sat down on the couch. I sat beside him. He leaned over to me again and I held him.

"What is it about hugging your mom that always makes you feel better?" he asked.

I laughed quietly. "I always wondered the same thing. After my parents died, your grandma kind of adopted me. Whenever life gets hard I go over and just sit with her and let her brush and braid my hair. It helps me relax and think," I said softly.

"So I won't ever be too old for this?" he asked.

I laughed again and shook my head.

"Good, because I like it," he said, yawning.

"I do too, baby," I responded, kissing the top of his head.

Nuffink sighed and leaned more of his weight on me.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy lately. I haven't had much time to check in on you. How are things going with you?" I asked.

Nuffink sighed and sat up. "Well both my sisters are kind of a mess," he chuckled. I smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I am thinking about proposing to Ragnhild," he said quietly.

I gasped and smiled brightly. "Nuffink, baby, that's wonderful!" I said happily.

Nuffink beamed from ear to ear. "Yeah, it is. I just want to wait until all this stuff with Eira blows over. Or at least wait until after Zephyr and Spike get married," he said.

Both of our eyes widened and we looked up at each other at the thought of Spike.

"Has anybody told Spikelout what's going on?" he asked. I shook my head no.

"But we might want to get him over here so that Zephyr can tell him before the town finds Eret Jr," I said.

"I can go get him in the morning," Nuffink volunteered.

"Thank you, baby," I said, smiling at him. I was so proud of how mature he was. With everything that was going on, he managed to stay levelheaded and calm. He was a rock for the rest of us. I looked closely at my son for the first time in a while. He had gotten taller and more muscular. He was built like a male version of me. His messy hair had darkened a bit as he had gotten older but was still noticeably blond. I smiled when I noticed a slight stubble on his chin. But in the midst of all the change were those green eyes. They were still soft and gentle, full of life. His eyes had always been my favorite thing about the way he looked because they were exactly like Hiccup's. I had blinked and my little boy had grown up.

"Mom?"

I snapped back to reality. "Yes, baby?" I asked.

Nuffink laughed. "Where'd you go?" he asked.

"I was just noticing how grown up you look. You look like a chief," I explained, smiling at him.

"Oh, well I was telling you that it sounds like Zephyr might be waking up. Do you want to go or do you want me to?" he asked.

"I've got her this time. Why don't you go wash up in the creek or something? You've had a long day," I said, walking towards the stairs.

"Actually, is it okay if I go see Ragnhild?" he asked almost shyly.

I smiled and nodded. "Just come back home sometime before the sun is up okay?" I laughed.

Nuffink smiled and kissed my cheek. He hadn't done that in a while. I guess he wasn't 'too cool' for that anymore.

He didn't look back as he ran out the door, putting his coat on as he ran.

I sighed and shook my head, remembering the days when I would leave my house in that much of a hurry to go see a certain one-legged viking.

Zephyr started moving around upstairs and I walked up to check on her. I was exhausted, but my daughter needed me right now, so I would be there for her in any way I could.


	23. How to Handle What Life Throws - Part 2

How to Handle What Life Throws at You - Part 2

As I walked into Zephyr's room, she pushed me out of the way and ran downstairs and out the back door.

"Zephyr?" I asked worriedly. I quickly walked out the back door behind her. I sighed when I saw her on her knees, throwing up everything her stomach held. I got down next to her and held her hair back.

"It's okay, baby," I whispered.

When Zephyr finished she slowly sat up. She was crying.

"Zephyr…" I said softly. I wrapped my arms around her.

"I don't think I can do this, mom," she whispered.

I sighed and hugged her.

"Why don't we go to my room and talk," I whispered. She nodded and I helped her up. I put my arm around her shoulders and we walked up to my and Hiccup's room. We got on the bed together. I smiled and said, "You remember when you would have nightmares when you were little? And you would come and climb onto this bed with those tiny arms and legs of yours," I laughed. Zephyr smiled.

"Well, baby, I know this is a nightmare for you. If you need to climb back onto this bed and be a little kid again every now and then, that's okay. But outside this room, you're a mom now. I know you didn't plan for this, but it's the reality of the situation," I told her.

"Mom, I thought you were supposed to cheer me up or something. This is making me feel worse," she said.

"I'm getting there!" I laughed. "Zephyr, all I'm saying is that you're all grown up now. You're getting married next week and you're going to have a baby. You are the strongest viking I know, baby. Don't underestimate yourself! You can do this, sweetheart," I told her.

"I just wish it was Spike's baby," she said quietly.

"Yeah, speaking of Spike… You two are supposed to get married in five days. You have to tell him tomorrow," I said.

"Mom, how am I supposed to tell the man who is going to be my husband that I am pregnant with another man's baby?" she asked.

"You are leaving out one kind of important detail," I reminded her.

"I know… I just don't want to say it," she said quietly.

"That's okay. But you have to tell Spikelout tomorrow," I told her.

She nodded and slowly sat up.

"I will," she responded.

I heard the front door open.

"Who is that?" Zephyr asked.

"Probably your brother," I said. I got up and went to the stairs, Zephyr following behind me.

But it wasn't Nuffink. It was my husband.

"Hiccup? Oh, did you find Eira? Please tell me you've found her," I said, quickly descending the rest of the stairs.

"No we haven't found her yet," Hiccup said. His face was very serious.

"Then what's going on?" Zephyr asked.

"Nuffink found Eret Jr," the chief said.

Zephyr took a deep breath. "Okay, guess I have to go find my fiance," she said.

All three of us left the house to go to the jail cell that Eret Jr was being held in.

_*Nuffink's point of view*_

As I walked towards my girlfriend's house I couldn't help but get a little excited. Ragnhild was amazing.

I walked up to the Ingerman house and knocked on the door. The house itself was fairly normal. Uncle Fishlegs had a rock garden and a designated meditation area in the back yard. Aunt Heather had some training posts and targets in the front yard. She and mom trained us kids here when we were little. On the other side of the front yard was a beautiful garden. I remembered playing hide and seek and being small enough to hide in some of the bushes.

The door was opened by Zephyr's best friend, who was also Ragnhild's sister, Mila.

"Hi, Mila. Is Ragnhild here?" I asked.

Mila smiled at me. "Yes, she is. I'll go get her," she said, holding the door open so I could step inside. Uncle Fishlegs was working on some of his plant cards at the kitchen table.

"Hi, Uncle Fishlegs. What new plant are you adding to the cards for my grandma this evening?" I asked.

"Oh, hello Nuffink! I am so excited about this plant. It is much like a waterlily, but your grandmother discovered great medicinal properties in it! She thinks it could potentially be used to cure paralysis from eel electrocution!" Fishlegs explained.

"Wow! That's amazing!" I said.

"I know! I can't wait to show your dad," Fishlegs said, going back to writing on the cards. Fishlegs had become the town's record and inventory keeper. If anybody wanted to know anything about a food, animal, insect, or a plant, they would go ask Fishlegs. And he was in charge of making sure our storehouses stayed stocked. He also kept Berk's historical records. He knew all there was to know about every war Berk had ever participated in and every trade that the village had made. You could even ask him about dragons and he would tell you everything about them. I really looked up to the man.

"Nuffink!"

I turned to see Ragnhild coming down the hall from her bedroom. She had dark hair and green eyes like her mom. She actually could have been her mother's clone. I was a whole head taller than her, which I loved to tease her about. She was very intelligent, much like both of her parents, but she took after Fishlegs more.

I smiled when I saw her and stood up. I was about to kiss her but she nodded her head towards Uncle Fishlegs, who was watching us very closely.

"Uh, okay. I'll have her back later, Uncle Fishlegs," I reassured him.

"No funny business, Haddock," he said seriously. Ragnhild rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the front door.

"Bye dad!" she said as she pushed me out, shutting the door behind us.

I turned to her. "Can I kiss you now?" I asked. She shook her head, pointing towards the window that Uncle Fishlegs was watching us through.

"Yeah, let's go," I laughed.

I took her hand in mine and we walked to our favorite spot. Dad once told me it was where everyone said goodbye to the dragons. We walked over to the large rock in the middle of the grass, sitting down in front of it and leaning back on it. We looked out over the ocean. It was so peaceful. I had desperately needed this break.

"Okay," Ragnhild said.

"Okay, what?" I asked.

"Okay, you can kiss me now," she giggled.

I smiled and moved my hand to the back of her neck. Her eyes shut as I leaned closer to her, softly pressing my lips to hers. When I pulled back she was smiling at me. She hummed softly and looked out over the ocean.

"Wait, who said I was done?" I asked.

My girlfriend laughed and kissed me again.

"So what brings you over at this late hour?" she asked.

I moved so that I was laying down on my back, looking up at the night sky. Dad told me that when he shot down Toothless, he was only able to catch him because the dragon would cover up stars as he flew. He just had to watch for where stars were disappearing.

"I just needed to get out of the house. Everything is so crazy right now," I said, covering my face with my hands and then brushing them up through my hair.

Ragnhild got down next to me. "Would you like to expand on that thought?" she asked.

"Zephyr is pregnant," I said. Ragnhild's eyes widened.

"Spikelout's?" she asked.

"No…" I muttered. "You can't tell anyone."

"I won't, Nuffink, I promise. But if it isn't Spikelout's baby, whose is it?" she asked.

"It's Eret Jr's baby," I said quietly.

"What? Okay, I missed something. Zephyr is marrying Spikelout, right?" she asked.

I nodded. "Eret forced himself on her," I said quietly. Just saying it made me feel sick. I was angry, no, I was furious. Knowing that this guy, somebody I had looked up to all my life, had hurt my sister like that was infuriating. When they find him I am going to make him wish he had never even looked at my sister.

"Oh my gods," Ragnhild said quietly. I stood up and started pacing.

"When Zephyr told us, I didn't know what to think. Now I am furious with him. To think that he did this to my sister kills me! I mean, he raped her. Eret Jr raped my sister," I said.

"I'm so sorry, Nuffink. And I am sorry for Zephyr too," Ragnhild said softly. I could feel her eyes following me as I paced back and forth.

"But there is more! Eira ran off again! She and Buffnut were planning on getting married as soon as Eira turned fourteen and for some reason, she didn't want to live at home anymore. So she left and decided to stay in some shack she found in the woods, but when my parents got there, the shack was empty. There were signs of a struggle. My little sister was kidnapped and is who knows where and my older sister was raped and is pregnant," I said. I was starting to get myself really worked up. All the anger I had been pushing down while I was staying with Zephyr was starting to come up.

Ragnhild stood up. "Nuffink, babe, calm down a little bit. It'll be okay," she reassured me.

"How? How is any of this going to be okay? Eira could die. She could have been captured and put on a trade ship. She could be almost anywhere by now! And Zephyr truly loves Spikelout but is too scared to tell him about the baby. I want to be there for both of them, but I don't know how," I said, raising my voice slightly.

Ragnhild looked down. I had never raised my voice around her before. I sighed and walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I am just worried and stressed," I said quietly.

"It's okay. I understand. But Nuffink, it will all be okay. The best thing you can do for them right now is help find Eira and just be emotional support for Zephyr," she said.

"You're right," I said, smiling at her.

Ragnhild smiled and said, "Oh, I am always right."

I laughed. "Yeah you are," I agreed.

She stood on her toes and brought her lips to mine. I moved my hands to her waist, pulling her closer to me. She deepened the kiss. Just when things were starting to get pretty heated we heard several twigs snap. We both pulled away. We looked over to the treeline. I gently pushed Ragnhild behind me.

Then out walked Eret Jr. I frowned and quickly walked towards him.

"Nuffink…" Ragnhild warned.

I didn't listen. I marched right up to him and punched him square in the jaw. Eret fell back to the ground. I shook my hand slightly.

"What the hell, man?" Eret Jr said angrily.

"You hurt my sister!" I yelled. I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

Eret Jr's eyes widened. "You, uh, you know?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, I know. My sister is pregnant you son of a b…"

"Nuffink!" Ragnhild interrupted me. I looked back at her.

"Come on, we are going to the chief's office," I said, pushing Eret towards the path. He didn't try to fight. He walked with us to my dad's office. I pushed him inside. My dad was sitting at his desk and looked up when he heard us walk in.

"Nuffink, what's going…" he saw Eret and stopped his sentence short.

"Nuffink, take Ragnhild outside," he instructed. He got up and walked over so he was inches from Eret.

I turned to Ragnhild and put my hands on her shoulders, leading her outside. When I shut the door I heard my dad's fist come in contact with Eret's face. "That is for my daughter," I heard my dad say.

"You are going to be staying in the jail cell for now," Hiccup said.

* * *

**Hi,**

**I know I don't do this often.**

**I just wanted to talk about how much I have enjoyed digging into Nuffink's character this chapter.**

**Do you guys want to see more of Nuffink and Ragnhild? Are there other characters you want to hear more from?**

**Sincerely,**

**EverAfterWritings**


	24. How to Face Your Fiance

How to Face Your Fiance

_*Nuffink's Point of View*_

Ragnhild took my hand and lead me outside. When we were far enough away from the village we stopped. My hands formed fists and I yelled loudly in frustration, punching the air. Ragnhild just watched quietly. When I was done she walked over and hugged me. I buried my face in her hair, breathing in the scent. Her hair always smelled so good. It was calming.

My girlfriend stood on her toes to kiss me again. It was more to comfort me than anything else. I kissed her back softly. We stopped when we heard somebody clear their throat. We turned to see my dad.

"Sorry, dad…" I said awkwardly. Ragnhild was blushing.

"It's okay. I remember being young and in love with your mom," he said, smiling to himself when he thought of the memories. "I am going to go get Zephyr and your mother. Can you go get Spikelout?" he asked.

I nodded silently. "I have to take Ragnhild home first," I said.

"That's okay. Just meet us at my office," my dad said, smiling at me and my girlfriend.

I reached for Ragnhild's hand and we started walking back to the Ingerman house.

_*Zephyr's Point of View*_

I hadn't really seen Eret Jr much since that night. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. My mom squeezed my shoulders supportively as we got closer to the jail cell.

Eret, son of Eret, was standing outside it, talking to his son, who was inside the cell. The father looked extremely disappointed and embarrassed. Uncle Dagur was there as well. Being second in command, he was in charge of Berk's jail system. He walked over to me.

"Just to go on record, is this the man who raped you?" he asked, his voice gentle. I frowned as I stared at the viking behind the bars, nodding my head slightly.

"He needs a verbal answer, baby," my mom whispered.

Nuffink and Spikelout walked up then. I started breathing heavily, panicking. My mom rubbed my shoulders gently.

"Y-yes," I whispered. I took a deep breath then said a little louder, "That is the man who raped me."

I glanced over at my fiance, tears in my eyes. His face went pale then he went red with anger. He angrily marched over to the cell and grabbed Eret Jr's shirt collar from behind the bars.

"What did you do to her?" he yelled. I had never seen him so angry.

"Spikelout, back away!" Dagur said seriously. Spikelout reluctantly let go of Eret Jr. He turned to look at me then started walking away.

"Spike, wait," I choke out between tears. I ran after him. When I caught up to him I had to walk quickly to keep up beside him.

"Spike," I said gently. He kept walking.

"Spikelout stop!" I said forcefully. He stopped, his fists clenched. He quickly turned towards me.

"We are getting married in four days! When were you going to tell me about this?" he asked, his eyes full of hurt.

"I didn't know how to tell you!" I said, the tears returning to my eyes.

I looked down at my feet and said, "Can we go to our place?"

He nodded silently. We quietly walked to where we had our first kiss. It was by the creek in the woods. We had been wading in the creek, splashing each other and laughing. There was a fallen tree over the creek. We took our boots off and walked out onto the tree. We sat down next to each other and let our feet dangle in the icy water. Both of us were silent for several minutes.

"Spikelout, there's more I have to tell you," I said quietly.

Spikelout looked over at me expectantly.

"I, um… gods this is the hardest thing I think I have ever done," I said quietly. I leaned forward, my elbows resting in my lap and my head in my hands.

Spikelout sighed and wiped the tears from my face.

"Zephyr, you know I'm not mad at you, right?" he said.

I looked up at him. "You aren't?" I asked, surprised.

"No, sweetheart. You didn't ask for any of this to happen. He is the one I am furious with," he said.

I sighed, still unsure of how to tell him. How do you tell your fiance that you are pregnant with another man's baby?

"Zephyr," Spike said softly, "do you remember the first time we came here?"

I smiled and nodded. My mind went back to the day.

_*3 years earlier - both aged 17*_

I ran after Spikelout. "Spike give it back!" I yelled.

He laughed, holding my notebook in his hand. I caught up to him when he stopped by the stream. He held the leatherbound book just above his head so I couldn't reach it. His eyes had a mischevious and playful glint in them. I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, give it back now," I said, the same glint in my eyes.

"Make me," he teased. I lunged at him, catching him off guard. I laughed as he fell back onto the ground. We landed with me on top of him, straddling his waist. We both blushed when we realized the compromising position we were in. I snapped out of it first and grabbed my book.

"Ha!" I said triumphantly. I smirked as I got up.

"No fair!" Spike said.

"How is that not fair?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Because of how we landed! I uh got distracted," he said, blushing again. I blushed too.

Spike started taking his boots off.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

He just looked up at me and walked over to the creek, stepping into the clear water.

"I am going to get you back for that," he said, reaching down and splashing water onto me.

I gasped in surprise and stepped back.

"Oh, it's on, Jorgenson!" I said, setting my book down on the grass. I took my boots off and ran into the creek, quickly reaching for the water and splashing him.

It wasn't long before both of us were completely soaked to the skin.

My hair had fallen from its braid and was hanging loosely down my back, water dripping from the end. After a few more minutes of splashing and laughing, we stopped, catching our breath.

I looked up at Spike. He was staring at me, a strange look in his eyes.

I laugh softly. "What is it?" I ask, smiling at him.

It was his turn to catch me off guard. He stepped forward, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear. He slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me forward, pressing his lips to mine. My eyes widened in surprise. He quickly pulled away.

"Sorry I don't know what came over me. I, uh.."

I stopped him by pressing my lips against his, this time shutting my eyes and melting into him. He moved his hands to my waist and deepened the kiss. We kissed for what felt like forever.

I smiled as we pulled apart.

"Zephyr!" I heard my brother approaching.

"I have to go," I said quickly. I went to put my boots back on.

"Okay…" Spike said. "Wait, Zephyr, can I, uh, can I see you tomorrow?" he asked almost shyly.

I smiled and nodded.

"You know where to find me," I said. I turned and ran towards my brother's voice. I smiled to myself. I had just had my first kiss. And it was perfect.

_*present*_

"I remember," I said quietly.

"That is the day I realized I was in love with you. No matter what you say to me right now, I'll still love you," Spike said, taking my hand in his.

"You promise?" I asked.

"Now you are scaring me. Yes, I promise," he said. He looked closely at me, his eyes filled with worry.

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant."


	25. How to Handle your Fiance's Response

How to Handle Your Fiance's Response

It felt like ages before Spikelout responded. I didn't take my eyes off him, trying to read his face.

Was he angry? Did he still love me? Was he going to call off the wedding? Why would he still want to be with me if it isn't his baby? I shook my head slightly, trying to get the questions to stop.

Spike took a deep breath and stared down at the rushing water at our feet.

"He got you pregnant?" was all he asked.

"Yes," I responded quietly.

"I'm going to kill him," he said. His voice had no emotion in it.

"Spike…" I said softly, reaching out to him.

"No!" He yelled, pulling away. He got up and put his boots back on.

"Spike, think about what you are doing!" I told him. I got down and put my boots on, having to run to keep up with his quick pace.

"I have thought about it. That monster forced himself on my fiance and now you are pregnant. He doesn't deserve to live!" he said angrily. His voice was hard and hit me like stones.

I continued to try to reason with him. We came out of the tree line and he continued his quick pace to the cell.

"Spike, don't! Spike!" I yelled. My mom walked over and stopped me.

"Shhh… It's okay. Let your father and Dagur handle this," she said softly.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. My vision was blurry with tears as I worriedly watched my father and Uncle Dagur step in front of Spike. They were trying to talk to him, but he wasn't listening. At least he wasn't walking towards the jail cell anymore.

"Spikelout, I understand you are angry, I am too!" My father said.

"But we can't let you kill him. There are ways to handle this that do not involve murder," Dagur explained.

Spike shook his head and pushed them aside.

"Spikelout, I am your chief! You need to stop!" my dad yelled.

I started hyperventilating. "Mom," I gasped out.

"Zeph, you need to slow your breathing, sweetheart. Think about the baby, honey," she said, trying to help me calm down.

I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, I didn't know what to do. I had never seen Spikelout like this before and it scared me.

I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and my hand quickly went to rest over it. I groaned loudly.

"Zephyr, what's wrong? Talk to me, baby," My mom said quickly. She placed her hand over mine.

The pain was continuous. It only made everything worse. I shut my eyes tight, hoping everything would just go away. Maybe it was all just a nightmare. Oh Thor, please let it all just be a nightmare!

"It hurts," I groaned louder.

My mom looked back at the men, concern written all over her face. My dad ran over to help my mom support me. My legs didn't want to work. Spikelout was pale.

I looked up at him, still in pain. I guess he forgot all about Eret Jr because he quickly walked over and scooped me up into his arms.

"Let's get her to Valka," my mom said. Mom and Dad walked ahead while Spikelout carried me. Nuffink had seen us and was running alongside us.

"What's going on?" He asked, concern filled his voice. Nobody answered him.

The pain was getting worse.

"It'll be okay, Zeph. It'll be okay," Spike repeated over and over. I wasn't sure if he was saying it for me or for himself or both.

It felt like it took years to get to grandma's infirmary. I tried to even out my breathing but every time I thought I was starting to be okay, another sharp pain would shoot through my body.

When we got to the infirmary my grandma met us outside. As soon as she saw me she pointed to a bed. Spike carried me over and gently put me down on the bed.

"Okay, you men need to leave," Valka said, pushing them out of the room.

"But," Spike protested, but the door shut in his face.

Mom came over and held my hand.

The pain was overwhelming now. I wished I would just pass out already. Then I wouldn't feel anything. I feel grandma's hand on my abdomen.

"What do you think, Valka?" mom asks. I knew she was trying to sound calm for me, but I could hear the worry.

"I don't know, Astrid. I'll check for bleeding. If she is bleeding, she'll probably lose the baby," Valka said solemnly.

The pain had grown more intense.

"You need to try to help her calm down. If she is stressed and worried she is more likely to miscarry right now," Valka said.

I heard my mom telling me to take deep breaths and try to relax. Valka was removing my pants and underwear. I shut my eyes and started taking deep breaths. Earlier today I didn't want this baby. I actually don't know if I do or not. But it didn't deserve to die like this. I put all my focus on trying to calm down. I couldn't lose this baby.

_*Spike's Point of View*_

It was all I could do to keep from breaking the door down.

"Spike, she'll be okay," the chief said. He didn't sound very convinced.

All of us were worried about her. I just couldn't stand hearing her in pain and not being able to do anything. I noticed that Chief Hiccup was sitting, bouncing his leg nervously. Nuffink was pacing near the back of the room. I couldn't just sit still so I started pacing by the door.

Soon I couldn't hear her anymore.

"It's awful quiet…" Nuffink muttered. Hiccup and I nodded in agreement.

I turned and went to sit next to my chief. He almost looked more nervous than I did.

We all looked up when we heard the squeak of the door hinges. Aunt Astrid walked out. She looked tired.

All three of us walked over to her.

"Is she okay?" I asked nervously.

I sighed in relief as Astrid nodded. "Zeph is okay," she said quietly.

"What about the baby?" Uncle Hiccup asked.

"Your mom says the baby is fine. But we have to really make sure she doesn't get too stressed out again. We got lucky this time. If Zephyr has another panic attack like that, Valka says we will lose the baby," Aunt Astrid explained.

"Can I go see her?" I asked.

"Let us get her dressed again. I'll get you when you guys can come in," Astrid said, smiling at all three of us.

When she went back into the room, Chief Hiccup turned around to me and Nuffink.

"So for the next six months or so our jobs are to make sure Zephyr stays relaxed and stress-free. We can't risk the life of that baby again," He said, more towards me.

I looked down at my feet. I knew I was the cause of this panic attack. I made a promise to myself right then and there that I would work on controlling my anger.

Right now, I was just relieved that my future wife was okay.


	26. How to Make Rope

How to Make Rope

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

Astrid and I were laying in bed. It had been a long day and I was exhausted.

"I'm just so glad she is okay," Astrid said. Zephyr was staying the night in the infirmary. Spikelout had decided to stay the night there with her.

"I am too," I responded. I rolled over towards her, resting my arm across her waist.

"And the baby is okay…" Astrid said quietly.

"Uh huh," I whispered. I was falling asleep.

"What are we going to do about Eira? None of the search parties have come back with anything?" Astrid asked.

"They haven't found anything. I was talking to Spikelout. I want to search the caves. I asked Spike to let Snotlout know. I know the caves are a touchy subject with them and I don't want them to feel obligated to help," I said.

"Hiccup, the caves? We haven't been there since what happened to Sofia!" Astrid exclaimed.

The caves ran all under the island. You could only get to them by either getting a really long rope and rappelling down the side of the island or by dragon. They were dangerous. Nobody was allowed in the caves.

"Yes, the caves. It's the last place we can look before sending ships out to contact the surrounding ports," I explained.

"Hiccup, do you really think she could be in there?" Astrid asked worriedly.

I pulled her into a hug. "I don't know, but we have to look," I whispered. I felt her nuzzle her face into my chest. I gently ran my fingers through her hair.

"I'm going to get some men to start making the rope tomorrow morning. We start searching tomorrow afternoon," I whispered.

_*Zephyr's Point of View*_

Spike and I were both in the infirmary. He had gotten onto the bed with me and I was wrapped in his arms. I sighed, enjoying being so close to him.

"I'm so glad you are okay," he whispered.

"Thanks? How do you respond to that?" I giggled.

"Zeph, I am so sorry. I should have seen that I was making you upset and I didn't. And then I thought I was going to lose you and that was the most terrified I think I have ever been," he said, brushing my hair out of my face. I looked down. He hadn't mentioned the baby yet.

"What about the baby? I can't just not have it. It's part of my life now, even though I didn't plan for it," I said. I was too nervous to look at his facial expression.

"Yeah, the baby…" Spike said softly. "Well, I know that getting rid of it is not an option for you."

"No, it is not," I responded matter of factly.

"Good, because I don't want to get rid of it. I want us to keep it," he said.

"Wait, you what?" I asked.

"Zeph, I love everything about you. Now this baby is a part of you, so I love it too," he said. He took a deep breath then continued, "So far nobody knows you are pregnant. A few people know what that man did to you, but they don't know about the baby. I was thinking maybe after we get married we could announce it and say it is mine," he said.

I was surprised. That was a huge gesture on his part. I knew he was a prideful man. Claiming this baby as his own wasn't going to be easy for him, but the fact that he was willing to do that for me showed me just how much he cares. I felt the tears forming in my eyes. I smiled at him.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I asked.

Spike smiled at me and kissed me.

"I love you too. What do you say we go to our place? I have gotten a lot done since you were last there," he whispered. I nodded eagerly. He helped me up and we snuck out of the infirmary together.

* * *

We walked hand in hand to our house. Spike had started building it with some of the Thorston kids three months ago. It was already almost finished. It had a place for flowers in the front yard, lots of windows, three bedrooms, a huge fireplace, and a decently sized kitchen. He was also going to build a barn in the back for the yaks Uncle Snotlout was going to give us as a wedding gift. We made a place for some boars as well because that is all Aunt Ruff and Uncle Tuff ever gave anybody. That and chickens.

"I can't wait to live here with you," I said happily, squeezing Spike's hand excitedly.

"I can't wait either," he said.

We walked inside. It needed some paint and some of the wood still needed to be sanded down. The fireplace still needed to have the stonework done. But other than those details the house was finished. It would be completely ready just in time for our wedding in three days.

I couldn't believe I was actually going to get married in three days. I sighed and sat down in our living room. There was no furniture yet so I just sat on the floor.

"You okay, babe?" Spike asked.

"Eira is supposed to be my maid of honor," I said quietly.

"I know," he said. He put his arm around my shoulders and let me lean into him.

"I am so worried about her," I whispered.

"Everyone is, sweetheart. We have five search teams out there looking for her. Your dad even told me he was going to have people start searching the caves tomorrow," Spike said.

"Really? He is actually letting people go back in those caves after what happened last time?" I asked.

Spikelout nodded solemnly.

"Do you think it will happen again?" I asked.

"I don't think so," he said.

"But what if it does?" I worried.

"Zeph, why don't we just have a nice relaxing night together. Okay? Let's get your mind off everything else," he said, kissing my forehead.

I sighed and moved so I was sitting in his lap. He smiled at me and placed his hands on my waist.

"Okay," I whispered, leaning my face close to his.

He closed the gap and kissed me. It started out slow and gentle, but quickly heated up. Soon his hands were everywhere. On my waist, on my back, at my legs, on my chest… they didn't stop. I started gently tugging at his hair.

We stopped when we started gasping for air. I giggled as I pulled away. Spike's face was flushed and I am sure mine was too. He smiled at me and pecked my lips one more time.

"Babe, we need to stop," I whispered.

"What, a man isn't allowed to make out with his wife?" he teased, moving his lips to my neck.

I gasped in surprise and responded, "No, but I am not your wife yet. And isn't this a little more than making out?"

He sighed and pulled back. "This is true," he said.

I smirked and kissed his nose playfully. "But I will be in three days," I whispered.

"In three days you will be Mrs. Jorgenson," he said quietly.

I laughed happily. I couldn't wait. I was ecstatic!

My hand moved to rest over my small baby bump. It wasn't even noticeable yet, but I could feel it. I imagined the three of us as a family. I would work with Uncle Fishlegs at records and storing, Uncle Snotlout would retire, passing his job as head of the resource expeditions down to Spike, and the baby would be the most perfect little thing in the world.

I was so content, resting in my fiance's arms, dreaming of our life together, eventually I fell asleep.

_*The next day - Hiccup's Point of View*_

I had gotten up early, so early that I was up before Astrid. Several men had been asked to meet up in town today. I was going to have them start making rope for the cave exploration. After quickly getting dressed and eating a hurried breakfast, I made my way to town. The men were already waiting when I arrived. Dagur was among them. He was going to help me oversee everything.

"All right men, settle down please," I said, addressing the loud group of vikings. Vikings sure could be loud…

Once everyone had quieted down and all eyes were on me, I said, "So as most of you already know, we are going to start searching the caves for my youngest daughter today."

This caused the men to start whispering among themselves.

"Yes, I remember what happened last time, but we will make sure it does not happen again! We will use extreme caution. If you feel you are unsafe at any time, you are free to exit the caves. This morning we are going to start making some rope for our searching," I announced.

The men were now on my side. I was surprised that I had won them over that easily.

"There are supplies in the forge. Get to it, guys! We start searching after the midday meal!"

I watched as the vikings hustled over to the forge. Dagur and I walked through the small crowd, checking everyone's work as the ropes started to take shape and gain length.

"So far so good, brother," Dagur said, slapping my back teasingly.

I sighed and chuckled. "So far," I muttered.

"Don't worry. An accident like last time cannot possibly happen again. We will make sure nobody who isn't supposed to be in those caves goes into those caves," Dagur reassured me.

I nodded in agreement. "Yes," I said, "this time will be different. This time we will do better."


	27. How to Do Better

How to Do Better

_*Spikelout's Point of View*_

I knew it was a dream. I knew it was a dream because not only was I a young teenager again, but Sofia was there. She was smiling up at me with her gap-toothed grin. She was so excited because she had lost a third tooth that day. I was teasing her, telling her that if she wasn't careful a Boneknapper would come and take it! She was laughing and squealing as I chased her around.

She was the most beautiful little girl. She had long dark hair and her blue eyes were full of joy and laughter. Everybody agreed that when she was older she would be the one all the boys would fight over. She was so smart for her age too. I always liked to think she would have grown up to be a war strategist or maybe the village doctor like Valka.

I realized what day it was in my dream. It was the day of the accident.

"No," I whispered quietly. I didn't want to scare the little girl. But I had to find some way to stop the accident. But I couldn't control my actions in the dream. I kept chasing her all the way to the edge of the island. "No, you have to stop!" replayed over and over in my head.

Sofia giggled as I chased her. She started climbing down the edge of the island, landing in front of the mouth of a cave we hadn't been inside yet. But I figured it was okay. Us kids played in the caves all the time. We made forts and hideouts.

But this time was different. I knew what was going to happen.

I tried to yell. I tried to tell her to come back up. I climbed down after her and she squealed and ran into the cave.

"I'm going to get you!" I heard myself laugh. It was as if I was just watching myself from above.

"No, you aren't! I am fast like a Speed Stinger! Daddy says so!" she giggled. She was very proud of how fast she could run. I did have to admit she was pretty fast for a kid her age.

"Oh yeah? Well, I am fast like a Night Fury!" I said.

Sofia's eyes were shining and bright. So full of life.

I ran towards her and she ran into the cave. Then I heard a low rumbling.

I looked past Sofia and saw a dust cloud billowing towards the mouth of the cave. It was a cave in.

"Sofia, get out of there!" I yelled. But it was too late. I saw her eyes one last time, fear replaced the playful glint that had been in them just moments before. She was swallowed up by the cave. The walls collapsed and the ceiling fell in. When the dust settled I heard vikings running to see what had happened.

I was numb. My hands moved to get the rocks out of the way. I had to save her. She had to be okay!

"Spikelout, what happened?"

I turned to see my dad. He was actually worried.

"Dad, Sofia was in there," I choked. I started coughing from the dust.

My father's eyes widened and he ran to start moving the rocks. Everyone started helping. Whenever a new helper showed up and asked what had happened I told them, "My sister is in there!"

I woke up yelling loudly. This, of course, woke Zephyr up. She and I were sleeping on the floor in our house. I had only meant to shut my eyes for a few minutes, but it looked like we had slept through the night.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare!" she reassured me. She rubbed my back and told me I was okay. That I was safe.

"It's okay. It wasn't real. It was just a bad dream," Zephyr said softly.

"But it wasn't a dream," I sobbed.

Zephyr knew what I had dreamed about after that. She pulled me to her chest and let me cry. I hated crying. I hated showing any form of weakness.

"Zeph, there is a reason those caves are off limits. She didn't deserve to die," I whispered.

She softly stroked my hair.

"I know. It still breaks my heart every time I think of her, which I do often. She was far too young, but the gods had other plans. And if my sister is down there we have to get her out," she said.

I could hear the worry in her voice.

Well, if they were going to search the caves, I was going to make sure nobody got hurt. We already lost one soul to the caves. I was not going to let them claim another.

I slowly got up and got dressed.

"I'm going to help them," I whispered. Zephyr nodded.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," she said.

I rubbed her shoulders and pulled her to me. I kissed her gently.

"I promise," I whispered.

After one more kiss, I turned to leave the house. I started walking to the center of town. This time had to be different.

This time we were going to be better. We were going to get in those caves safely. Any sign of a cave in and we would all leave. That is what Hiccup had told me.

I knew we were going to be prepared this time, but I couldn't shake that feeling of uneasiness in the back of my mind.

"We will all be okay," I said to myself.

I started helping make the ropes for the search.

"Spike?"

I looked up to see Chief Hiccup.

"Good morning sir," I said, making sure to keep my hands busy on the rope.

"Spike, you don't have to do this. Nobody is expecting you or your family to help us search the caves," Hiccup said gently.

"No, sir. I am sorry, but I have to do this. If Eira is down there, I am not about to let my fiance lose a sibling the way I did," I said firmly.

Hiccup raised his eyebrows slightly. I guess he was impressed.

Around midday Zephyr and some of the other ladies in the town brought all the workers lunch. We all ate quickly.

I watched as Hiccup stood on a table and got everyone's attention.

"Okay, we are about ready to go. You will all be broken up into four groups. Dagur, you and your group will take the Eastern caves. Eret, son of Eret, you and your group will take the Southern caves. Fishlegs, you and your team can take the Western caves. My group will search the Northern caves. If any of you ever feel unsafe, exit the caves immediately! We are going to proceed with extra caution. The caves are likely very unstable," Hiccup explained.

All the vikings split into their groups. I grabbed some rope for my team and I started making my way toward the Eastern caves with Dagur.

Hiccup's safety talk had reassured me a bit. We are going to do better.

We have to do better.

* * *

**Hello readers,**

**This is the first chapter that I have written that is solely from the perspective of a viking that is not a Haddock. I actually really enjoyed it and I hope you guys do too.**

**I hope it all makes more sense now that you know who Sofia is.**

**I am planning on wrapping this story up in the next few chapters. No more than ten for this fanfic.**

**My next story is one that I am very excited about! I will give you more details soon. **

**Sincerely, **

**EverAfterWritings**


	28. How to Climb a Rope

How to Climb a Rope

"Spikelout, you really don't have to do this," Dagur said.

I shook my head. "No, I do. For Zephyr," I responded.

Dagur nodded and held the rope steady as I climbed down to the first cave.

I held tightly to the rope. My mind was racing. All I could think of was Sofia. "Okay, focus. One hand below the next," I muttered to myself. It felt like it took years for me to finally feel solid ground under my feet.

Ten vikings, including Dagur, followed behind me. We lit our torches and walked into the cave.

It was cold and wet. Water dripped down the walls and ceiling. The rock formations looked like dragon teeth. It kind of reminded me of when I was little and my dad took us to go visit his dragon, Hookfang. Flying had been the most amazing experience. I wish I could have grown up with it. Maybe I could have even gotten my own dragon at some point.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus on finding Eira.

So far there was nothing there.

"Gods, let us find her soon," I muttered under my breath. Of course, that was if she was even in the caves.

We continued to make our way into the darkness.

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

It was really cold in the caves. I was glad I had grabbed my cloak. My arm held the torch out far in front of me, but it only illuminated the next few steps. I couldn't help but wish I had Toothless with me to help.

We had been walking for about half an hour when a viking behind us yelled, "Hey, chief!"

I turned and walked over to her. She held up a scrap of fabric. It matched the green shirt Eira wore.

"It's hers. Keep going, everyone! She is down here somewhere!" I yelled loud enough for the entire group to hear. We all continued forward. I made sure to keep an eye out for any other signs of my daughter.

"I swear this kid is going to be the death of me," I said to myself.

Gobber, who had been part of my group, overheard me.

"Aye, that's one reason I never had kids. They cause so much trouble. I had my hands full enough with you," he laughed. I knew he was trying to lighten the mood.

"You were more of a dad to me than my real dad was. At least when I was little," I told him.

"Eh, I prefer uncle," Gobber said, using his hook to pick at his teeth.

"Crazy uncle?" I laughed.

"Aye, I can work with that! Crazy Uncle Gobber!" he chuckled.

I smiled. My kids couldn't know their grandpa, and that broke my heart. But when Zephyr was born, Gobber took over the "grandpa" role. I don't know if he had even meant to take on that role, or if it just happened. Either way, I was glad he was there for Zephyr, Nuffink, and Eira. He was there for my mom too. To have him walking by my side in these caves helped me stay calm. I knew I could count on him.

We continued walking. There were about twelve of us. I could tell the others started to get nervous the deeper we went into the cave.

As we went deeper we started hearing a low rumbling sound. It could louder and louder the deeper we went until it was so loud we had to yell to be heard. It wasn't a cave-in rumble though. This was different.

We came to a wide opening. In the middle was a giant waterfall. If you looked up you could see the sky and the forest above us. The waterfall came from the top of the island and came down into the caves. There were several openings in the walls around the lake that the waterfall spilled into. It almost seemed like this was the place where all the caves ended like they were tunnels to this beautiful place.

"Hey!"

I looked up and saw Dagur and his men emerge from a cave to the left of us. I waved to him and he and I started walking towards each other.

"Everyone take a break! Get some water," I told my group. I heard the Berkians start talking amongst themselves and they all walked to the crystal clear water.

Gobber and Spikelout joined Dagur and me.

"Are you okay here, Spike?" I asked.

Spike nodded silently, he was staring at the beautiful oasis we had found.

"You know, we could use this as a water source," Dagur said.

"If we are ever unable to use the one we have now, this will be our plan B. But for now, I'd rather leave this place alone. If we tell the entire village about it they will all start coming here and it is too dangerous to get to this place," I said.

Dagur nodded in agreement.

"Good point, brother," he said.

"Did you guys find anything?" I asked.

Dagur shook his head solemnly. "Did you?" he asked.

"We found a scrap of fabric from her shirt. But other than that, nothing," I replied.

"Hey, guys wait up! Wait up!"

Everyone turned towards the yelling. It was coming from the cave I had just walked out of.

We heard loud footsteps getting closer. Out emerged Buffnut. I groaned.

"You really think I am going to sit back while you guys look for the love of my life?" he asked. He bent over, supporting himself by putting his hands on his legs. He was panting heavily.

"Buff, there was an age limit for this search party," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"But there is no age for love!" he said dramatically. He was so much like his dad in that way. He was a bit smarter, but he had that same dramatic flare.

"Buffnut, we have this under control. Why don't you go back?" I suggested.

Buffnut shook his head. "No way. I am helping! This is my fiance we are talking about!" he exclaimed.

"You're what?" I asked, my eyebrows raising.

"Oh boy," Gobber muttered.

"My, uh, my fiance," Buffnut said nervously.

"Ha! You're fiance?" I asked. "I think you mean my thirteen-year-old daughter!" I said, raising my voice.

"Chief, with all due respect, you really don't know her like I do. I can help you find her. Plus, she was the one who wanted to get married first," he said, stretching his arms and his back.

How could he say all this so calmly? Did he realize what he was saying and who he was talking to? My guess was no.

"Buffnut, if you think I am going to sit back and let you…" Gobber grabbed my arm and held me back.

"We would love your help, son. Why don't you go look around and see if you find any sign of Eira?" Gobber suggested.

I turned to him and yelled, "What?!"

"Oh, calm down Hiccup. The laddie just wants to help. Give him something to do and he will stay out of the way," Gobber reassured me.

I loved Buffnut's father and aunt, but this kid was testing my limits.

I groaned and walked over to the falls to get a drink. Gobber was right, I knew this, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I rested for a few minutes. The water was so refreshing. It was incredibly clear. I could see the smooth pebbles that covered the bottom of the lake. It really was a hidden oasis.

"Hey, I found something!" Buffnut yelled.

Everyone ran over to see what he had found.

I was surprised when I saw that he had actually found something. In his hands was a thin red ribbon that Eira used to tie her hair.

"Okay, I want everyone to come with me! We are going to search this cave," I instructed, gesturing towards the cave that the ribbon had been in.

Buffnut looked very proud of himself. I just nodded to him, that was all the approval he would be getting from me.

We began walking down the tunnel.

* * *

**Hello,**

**Sorry, I know Author's notes upset the flow and everything. I just figured I should let you guys now that there are only four more chapters in How To Say Goodbye! That is including the epilogue.**

**I was going to wait to tell you the title of my next story, but I am too excited about it! The title is "Once A Berserker, Always A Berserker."**

**It will follow Heather and Dagur from when the dragons leave, to how the ended up on Berk. I hope you will all enjoy it! I have already started writing it and I must say, I am very much enjoying digging deeper into our beloved Berserker characters!**

**Enjoy the rest of How To Say Goodbye! I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the ending.**

**Sincerely,**

**EverAfterWritings**


	29. How to Swallow Your Pride

How to Swallow Your Pride

After we had walked for almost an hour I saw a very dim light at the end. It looked like a torch.

"Weapons ready," I instructed softly. The rest of the vikings spread the order so the people in the back could get it too.

I drew my sword and Gobber replaced his hook with his ax.

As we got closer I heard soft singing.

"Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your laugh inside me," a feminine voice sang. The voice was eery and it made me shiver. It was like it was coming from the walls, oozing out of every rock.

We walked as quietly as we could, but we're vikings, we aren't exactly known for our stealth work. Plus a metal leg doesn't do any favors.

Suddenly a person wearing a heavy cloak and hood appeared in front of us seemingly out of nowhere.

"I'll swim and sail the savage seas… Don't come any closer... With n'er a fear of drowning... Or your daughter will die!" It sang eerily. It continued to hum the familiar song. But the way she sang it made it sound evil. It was not the way my parents had sung to each other years ago.

I held my arm up to stop the vikings behind me. "Who are you?" I asked.

"No scorching sun… If you wish to know who I am… Nor freezing cold… You will follow me… Will stop me on my journey… Alone!" The person yelled.

Gobber pulled me aside. "Hiccup, I have a bad feeling about this lass. She doesn't seem right in the head. Do you hear her singing?" He whispered. We both glanced at the person, who was still muttering song lyrics under her breath.

"I hear her, Gobber. Yes, it is strange and she sounds a bit insane, but I have to do this for my daughter," I responded. I stood up tall and walked towards her.

"But I've no need for mighty deeds…" the figure whispered to herself.

"I'll go with you," I said. I hoped she couldn't hear how nervous I was.

"Good, lad," she hissed. She turned and seemed to glide through the cave. I followed closely.

We walked for a long time. I had told Gobber to come after me if I wasn't back in an hour.

"And I'd protect you from all harm if you would stay beside me…" the person whispered to herself.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

"You already know, Hiccup," she said softly.

The voice sounded so familiar. I felt like I hadn't heard it in a very long time.

I noticed that her cloak shimmered in the torchlight.

"What kind of cloak is that?" I asked.

"Why, it's Hobblegrunt skin. I would stay back if it ever turns red," she responded.

Hobblegrunt skin? I was familiar with the dragon who's color changed based on its mood, but how did she get that cloak? Right now it was a deep blue, which meant the wearer was calm.

"Do you wish to see your daughter?" she asked.

"Yes take me to her," I responded quickly.

The person stopped and pointed toward an opening in the wall. It led to a smaller room.

Inside, my daughter was chained to the wall. She was frighteningly thin and she was dirty. Her head hung low against her chest, causing her knotted hair to fall on either side of her face. Her clothes were torn and it looked as if they had been cut open in some places.

I ran towards her and knelt in front of her. I cupped her face with my hand.

"Eira? Eira, baby, you're going to be okay. I'm here now," I whispered.

She slowly opened her eyes. "Dad?" she whispered.

"Yes, baby. Daddy is here," I said soothingly. I reached for my Gronckle sword and went to try to cut the chains. As I raised my sword, an arrow shot my sleeve and hit the wall behind me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I don't miss a second time."

I looked over to see the woman had another arrow ready in her bow.

But I guess the movement of getting her weapon ready had caused her hood to slip back a bit. I saw a strand of bright red hair.

"Sylvia?" I asked quietly.

She lowered her bow slightly and gave me a grin that sent shivers down my spine. She pulled her hood off. It had been over twenty years since I had last seen her. She must have escaped to the caves and had been living in them all these years. Her hair had started to grey, but there were still patches of red. Her eyes had that same evil glint in them.

"So you figured it out, nephew," she whispered.

"What the hell are you doing? What do you want with my daughter?" I yelled. I held my sword out in front of me.

"Oh, please. Just put that silly thing down. We both know you wouldn't be quick enough to stop my arrows," she said.

I didn't budge.

"Fine, we can play that way," she said and pointed an arrow at Eira's head. Eira didn't even flinch. What had Sylvia done with her?

I slowly lowered my sword.

"That's better," Sylvia said.

"Why did you kidnap my daughter?" I asked.

"You are just like my brother, always straight to business," she muttered. "I was hoping this would be the pregnant one, but apparently I got the wrong Haddock. So I figured I could make a trade. This one's life, for the unborn child," Sylvia said smoothly. I had forgotten how her voice had sounded. It was still like snake venom.

"What do you want with Zephyr's baby?" I asked, my hand gripping my sword tighter.

"Zephyr's baby?" Eira said incredulously.

"Hush child," Sylvia instructed harshly. "That baby is a third generation dragon master. If I can raise it and teach it all of the knowledge from the dragon eye and the book of dragons, I will be able to use the child to gain control of the alpha dragon. The dragon already knows my scent and distrusts me, but if there is somebody from your bloodline, it will be easy to win the alpha over" she explained. I was surprised she had told me her plan so quickly.

"How do you know about the dragon eye?" I asked.

"Silly nephew, you really thought that one you found and the one you made were the only ones? There were several out there. One happened to fall into my possession several years back," she said nonchalantly. Her cloak was now a brilliant shade of red - pride, and strength.

"But why do you need Toothless?" I questioned further.

"Toothless? Oh, right! He was your dragon, wasn't he? Well, I simply want the power, nephew. I want to destroy Berk. I want to destroy any tribe that has ever disowned me and left me to die. I want everyone who harmed me to suffer," she hissed through gritted teeth. Her red cloak deepened to a dark crimson - revenge. She wanted revenge, as all villains do.

"Sylvia, I am sorry you were hurt like that, but destruction isn't the solution. Just lower your weapon and we can talk about this. I was an outcast too when I was young. My own father, your brother, told me that I was no longer his son at one point. I know what you are feeling," I said as calmly as I could.

"Oh, don't go using your dragon techniques on me. I don't want to talk. I want to kill," she said, pulling the arrow back.

"Don't shoot! Please!" I said, holding my hand out.

"If you promise me the baby, you can take your daughter home," Sylvia said, her cloak had changed to a midnight black shade, meaning she felt powerful.

"The baby isn't coming for another six months," I said.

"Then bring me the one carrying the child," she hissed.

I didn't know what to do. Before I could say anything, Eira said, "Okay, but let me go first. I will bring Zephyr to you, but only if you let us go right now."

"Do you really think I am that stupid, child?" Sylvia laughed.

"No, but I think you are oblivious," Eira said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. I looked over her. What did she mean by that?

That's when I noticed. Buffnut was standing behind Sylvia. He had a heavy net in his hands.

"And what makes you say that?" Sylvia chuckled. I could tell she was enjoying this little argument.

"Because we just won," Eira said.

Then Buffnut threw the net over my aunt.

"What is this? What is going on?" Sylvia screamed. Her cloak had changed to a deep orange color - fear.

"Oh, just a fishing net I invented. It is weighted so it is much more difficult to escape," Buffnut said.

I walked over and knelt down next to Sylvia while Buffnut helped free Eira. I ran the net through my fingers. It was impressive craftsmanship. Buffnut was pretty good with his hands.

Once I made sure Eira was free I turned toward the door. But standing in the doorway was Eret Jr.

"Eret Jr? How did you get here?" I asked incredulously.

"There is a tunnel connecting to the cell. I have been visiting my boss every night," he explained.

"Boss?"

"Her," he pointed at Sylvia.

"Yes, Eret free me! Free me and you will be chief!" she yelled.

"Chief? Eret, she was never going to make you chief. She was going to destroy Berk!" I told him.

He looked at Sylvia angrily. "You lied to me? You made me hurt that innocent girl? I begged you not to make me do it!" He yelled. He tied the net off and pulled the evil woman to her feet.

"No, Eret, I didn't lie, I just bent the truth a little!" She said. Eret Jr wasn't convinced, however. I was glad he still trusted his chief over her.

"I will take her to the stables. She can stay there until we fix the cell," he said.

"Okay, but I am going to send Gobber with you," I told him.

Eret Jr nodded.

I looked over at Eira and Buffnut. They were hugging. Not kissing or anything, just hugging. Like they were just happy to be back together.

"Buffnut," I said quietly.

The young viking walked over and stood in front of me.

"What you did was very dangerous. You could have been killed," I said.

Buff looked down at his feet.

"But, if you hadn't done it both Eira and I could have been killed, so for that, I thank you," I said. And I meant it. I wasn't even gritting my teeth.

"Thank you, chief. I would do anything for Eira and for our village," Buffnut said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes, I see that now. And because of this, I guess I will let you two see each other…" I said. It hurt my pride, but he really did love my daughter. Eira ran into my arms, hugging me tightly.

"Thanks, dad," she said. She kissed my cheek.

"Yeah, well just promise me you aren't going to get married for a while, okay?" I said seriously.

She laughed and hugged me again before going back to Buffnut.

That's when I heard the evil laugh of Sylvia.

"What are you laughing about? We won!" I yelled.

"Not quite. You see, I had a fail safe. I have a dragon and I just told it to go get Zephyr. I much rather would have done this with you giving her up willingly, but in case you weren't willing, I have Knapper," she said. She grinned through the net.

I heard a loud roar and looked back to see a massive Titan wing Dramillion appear out of nowhere. I had forgotten that they had the ability of camouflage like a Changewing. We all watched in horror as it flew up into an opening in the ceiling and disappeared.

All of us quickly started running back down the tunnel we had come in through. We had to get to Zephyr.


	30. How to Save a Life

How to Save a Life

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

I wish I could have gone with Hiccup and the others, but Zephyr needed me at home. She was having some serious cravings. Right now she wanted a bowl of popcorn with bits of fish in it. I honestly gagged just thinking about it, but she loved it.

Suddenly the whole house shook. It sounded like something had landed on the roof.

"What in Thor's name…?" I muttered, walking to the back door to see what was going on. When I saw what was on our roof I quickly yelled, "Zephyr get to the stair closet!" I ran back inside.

"What? Why?" Zephyr asked.

"There is a Titan Wing Dramillion on our roof. You are in no condition to be interacting with it. Get in the closet, you'll be safe there if it tries to get in the house," I quickly explained. Zephyr's eyes widened and she took refuge in the closet.

That's when I heard it. The low rumble of Hiccup's horn. The horn that called Toothless. This wasn't a random Dramillion that had gotten lost, this was an attack.

I grabbed my ax. I hadn't wielded it in so long, but it felt familiar in my hands, like hugging an old friend. I heard somebody knock on the door.

"Who could possibly be knocking on the door right now?" I asked myself. I walked over and answered it.

"Hey, you know there is a Titan Wing Dramillion on your roof, right?" Snotlout questioned.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed muttonhead!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, I am a sensitive person, you don't have to resort to name-calling," Snotlout said. He had his ax over his shoulder as well.

"I heard Hiccup's dragon call. This thing isn't here to be friendly," I said, stepping outside with Snotlout. The dragon had started clawing its way through our roof.

"Why is it trying to get in your house?" Snotlout yelled over the noise it was making.

"I don't know!" I yelled back.

We knew we had to get its attention and show we meant it no harm if earning its trust was going to be an option.

Snotlout and I waved our arms over our heads and yelled loudly. The dragon looked over at us, its eyes narrowed to slits.

"Hey, big guy! It's okay! You don't have to destroy my house!" I yelled. I held my ax out to the side of me and dropped it, showing the Dramillion I wasn't going to hurt it. Snotlout did the same.

The Dramillion wasn't even fazed. It shot two fire blasts at us, missing us by just a few inches.

"That was too close!" Snotlout yelled, his tunic smoking a little bit.

The dragon broke through the roof and got to the top floor of the house. Then I heard a sound I hadn't heard in years - the screech of a Night Fury. I looked up at the sky and saw the dark dragon speeding towards our house. I smiled when I saw my husband was on the dragon's back.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled excitedly. The other dragons were following. Eira and Buffnut were on Stormfly, while Fishlegs, Heather, Dagur, and the twins were already on their dragons. The Light Fury and the Night Lights flew behind them. I smiled excitedly and ran to my dragon as she landed. But first I rushed to my daughter. I pulled her into a tight hug.

"When we get rid of this Dramillion you have a lot to tell me," I whispered.

"Mom, it's Sylvia's dragon," Eira said quickly.

"What? Sylvia?" I asked incredulously.

"She wants Zephyr's baby! Where is Zephyr? I have to get her somewhere safe," she said urgently.

"The stair closet, go!" I yelled, jumping onto my dragon.

The Night Lights followed Eira and Buffnut. I assumed they were going to help her with Zephyr.

"Oh, Stormfly, I've missed you!" I said, reaching forward to scratch her neck. Snotlout had already jumped onto Hookfang. It was just like when we were kids.

"Astrid!"

I looked up to see my husband.

"Toothless can't control it," he said.

"What? Why not?" I asked.

I saw Toothless's fins on his head and back glowing blue, indicating he was trying to get to the Dramillion.

"I don't know, but we need to figure it out. Where is Zephyr?" He asked. I pointed towards the Night Lights that were carrying all three of our children plus Buffnut and Spikelout.

"Good, we need to get this thing out of here," he said.

I looked at the dragon. It was roaring and shooting fire at all of us. We were able to dodge each attack though. I smiled as my old dragon riding skills came back to me.

I noticed the Titan Wing was shaking its head violently.

"Hiccup look!" I yelled, pointing to the dragon. There was something wrapped around its head.

"That must be how Sylvia controlled it!" Hiccup said enthusiastically.

"Everyone, try to get that band of its head!" I instructed.

Dagur and Shattermaster along with Fishlegs and Meatlug started by circling the Dramillion with Gronkle lava so that it would stay in one place. The twins and Snotlout kept it occupied by being their old muttonheaded selves. Hiccup and I flew in above the dragon's head. We were going to pull the band off together. Each time the Dramillion tried to look up or shoot fire at us. It was stunned by WindShear's blasts. After carefully positioning our dragons, Toothless and Stormfly grabbed the band with their claws and we pulled it off the poor dragon's head. It roared loudly, but once it was off, it stopped attacking us. Toothless was finally able to speak to it.

"Tell it we aren't going to hurt it, bud," Hiccup said, patting Toothless's neck.

Soon we were all able to land and jump off our dragons.

"So Sylvia?" I asked as I approached my husband.

He nodded. "Yeah, she was living in the caves. Apparently, there is a tunnel in the jail cell that we need to close off. She was keeping Eira down there, planning on using her as a trade for the baby," Hiccup explained.

"But we got her?" I asked.

Hiccup smiled and nodded. "Buffnut did, actually," he muttered.

I chuckled. "So he did save our daughter's life. You can't say no to him now," I laughed.

"I already told them they could see each other… Don't rub it in my face," he said, rubbing his neck. Toothless nuzzled his side.

"What? You going to say 'I told you so' too?" Hiccup asked. Toothless purred happily. I felt Stormfly's head hovering over my shoulder and I reached up to scratch her chin.

"You are such a good girl, Stormfly!" I praised.

"Hey, chief, where is Zephyr?" Heather asked.

"Oh right I have kids," Hiccup laughed, "The Night Lights flew them somewhere. We should probably all go find them."

We all mounted our dragons and started flying in the direction that our children had flown.

I started wondering if it was safe enough for the dragons to come home. There hadn't been any dragon hunter encounters in years. And now that Sylvia was gone… Maybe it was just wishful thinking, or maybe it wasn't. Either way, there would always be a part of me that was never going to give up on bringing our dragons home. My husband and I both wanted to be able to co-exist with them once again.


	31. How to Get Married

How to Get Married

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

We soon found a clearing in the trees where our kids had landed. As the dragon riders, former Berserkers, and myself landed our dragons, I laughed to see my kids playing with the Night Lights. Nuffink had seemed to bond with the mostly white one. From what I could tell it was a female. Eira and Buffnut were chasing and being chased by the mostly black one, a male. Zephyr and Spike were sitting contentedly, leaning back on the belly of the Night Light that was half white and half black, a female. Zephyr was sketching something in her notebook.

I took a deep breath and sighed. This is what I had wanted my children to grow up with. This is the life I had wanted them to have, but it was taken from them by evil people who were out to harm all dragons. It made me mad.

I felt Toothless nudge my arm and purr softly. "I know, bud. It's great seeing our kids together, huh?" I chuckled. Toothless let out a soft "rawr" in agreement. I looked over at my wife. I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was. She looked up and caught me staring, giving me a sad smile. Stormfly hadn't left her side since the dragons had come to help us. The Dramillion and a few other dragons had tagged along. Toothless had brought back up, just in case.

The Dramillion cautiously walked towards Zephyr and Spikelout. It made a deep sound in its throat and sniffed at Spikelout.

"No, it's okay. Look, my dad showed me this when I was little and met Toothless for the first time," Zephyr said, slowly standing up. I watched as my daughter moved Spike's arm up in front of him and flattened his hand, tilting it up towards the dragon. She stepped back and the dragon softly nuzzled Spike's hand.

I laughed softly. I was incredibly proud of her. I was proud of all of my children. They had all grown up and I hadn't even noticed.

"It went by too fast…" Astrid muttered. She had appeared next to me.

"It really did, Astrid," I sighed.

"Well it looks like Spike has a new friend," Astrid laughed. We watched as the Dramillion licked Spike enthusiastically and wagged it's tail back and forth.

"It looks like they all have," I said, gesturing towards Buffnut, who was being chased by an overly enthusiastic Snifflehunch. We laughed as the dragon chased the young viking, trying to sniff him.

"Mom, Dad," Zephyr said as she approached us. She was followed closely by the Night Light she had befriended. The dragon attempted to hid behind my daughter shyly.

"This is Eclipse," Zephyr said, stepping to the side. The dragon gave us a nervous toothless grin. I smiled and held my hand out to her. Eclipse glanced over at Toothless, who gave her a 'go ahead' nod. She slowly pressed her nose against my hand.

"Can they stay? Maybe even just for the wedding?" Zephyr asked hopefully. The wedding was only two days away now. I sighed and glanced at Toothless.

He grinned that toothless grin that had given him his name. It was as if he was saying "yeah that's fine with me."

I chuckled and nodded. "They can stay, but they go back when Toothless says!" I told her.

Zephyr giggled excitedly and walked shoulder to shoulder with her new friend.

I sat down in the grass and looked around at all my friends who had become my family.

Dagur and Shattermaster were about to play a prank on the oblivious Snotlout. Even Hookfang was in on the prank.

The twins were introducing Barf and Belch to all their kids and were showing just how much chaos a two-headed dragon can cause when it is paired up with a Tuffnut and a Ruffnut.

Heather and Windshear were curled up on the ground together, probably just catching up as best friends do.

Fishlegs was showing Meatlug and her not-so-little-anymore baby his new plant cards and the ones he had just started making for the Night Lights. Meatlug was shaking in excitement and kept pushing against Fishlegs.

I sighed sadly. I knew they would have to leave again eventually. I just wish it was safe enough for them to stay. But, of course, that was completely up to Toothless. One of his abilities as the king was he would be able to sense when it was safe for dragons to return. As of right now, they couldn't spend more than a few days away from the Hidden World.

But I was glad to get every second I could.

_*two days later*_

The Haddock house was in a frenzy.

"Nuffink, Dawn cannot be in the house right now!" Astrid yelled to be heard over the commotion. Nuffink groaned and got up and walked outside, his dragon, whom he had named Dawn, followed closely behind him.

"Don't worry, Dusk. As soon as this wedding is done and over I will come out and play with you before you have to leave," Eira said to her dragon through the kitchen window. Valka had ahold of Eira's hair and was insisting that she sit still long enough for her to braid it.

Zephyr was in her wedding gown and was sitting at the table in the kitchen while Astrid did her hair. Zephyr was hunched over her sketchbook, glancing up at her model, Eclipse, every now and then. She was the bride, her dragon got to stay in the house, as long as she stayed out of the way. Toothless, Stormfly, and Cloudjumper were all laying in the grass, enjoying the sunshine on their scales.

"Okay, Haddocks!" I yelled. "You have ten minutes before we have to go!"

Valka quickly finished Eira's hair. "Go get dressed!" she told her youngest grandchild.

Astrid was already in the dress she'd be wearing to the ceremony, and let me just say, I have the most beautiful woman in the world as my wife. The way the fabric perfectly outlined each curve and how the color brought out her eyes and smile… She looked like a goddess.

"Hiccup, stop staring at me and straighten your cloak. The chief seals are crooked," Astrid said. Gods I loved that woman, even when she was being demanding.

Because I was chief, I'd be performing the ceremony. Having to marry my daughter off was definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to do as of yet, and I have helped my wife give birth to three kids.

This beat the whole having a baby thing by a mile.

"Okay, everyone! Out the door!" I yelled.

Eira was the first one out, quickly joining up with Dusk. My mother walked at a very quick pace behind her. "Eira, don't mess up your dress, child!" she yelled, shaking her head. "Were you like this child, son?" she asked.

I laughed and responded, "Nope, that is all Astrid!"

Nuffink had already gone to pick up Ragnhild, his date to the wedding.

Astrid was the next one out of the house. I held my arm out without her noticing and she walked right into it, allowing me to grab her waist and pull her into a kiss.

"Oh my gods, Hiccup!" she gasped. I laughed and kissed her again, this time she kissed me back.

"You look stunning milady," I told her as she walked down the path to the village, Stormfly close behind her. Astrid smiled and glanced back at me over her shoulder.

"Do I look okay, dad?" Zephyr asked as she stepped out the door.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and sighed. The white looked beautiful on her. She and Astrid had done a brilliant job on the dress. They had had to loosen it a bit around the middle to accommodate the small baby bump. Her hair was loose, with a braided crown around her head. She had flowers in her hair, just as her mother had on our wedding day.

"Zephyr, baby," I said softly, tears forming in my eyes, "You look beautiful," I whispered. Zephyr beamed up at me, a soft blush on her cheeks. I held my arm out to her and she looped hers around mine.

"Shall we?" I asked.

She laughed as we walked down to the village, our dragons right beside us.

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

The wedding had been absolutely beautiful. Eira actually stood up straight while she was in the maid of honor's position. The dragons had all behaved very well too.

But there were two parts that were absolutely amazing.

The first was Spikelout's face when he saw Zephyr in her wedding dress for the first time. His eyes were as big as a Submaripper's mouth. His jaw dropped and I could tell he had to remember to breathe. My daughter was gorgeous and she was graceful and elegant as she walked down the aisle. Spikelout was looking rather handsome as well. She and Spike made a perfect couple.

The second part that was amazing was after Hiccup pronounced them husband and wife and wrapped the scarf around their hands, just as Gothi had done at our wedding. It represented the bond we had now that we were married. The couple was tied together. When Spikelout kissed Zephyr, I almost cried from how much love they each had in their eyes. And everyone knows I am not a crier. They kissed and the cheers that erupted from the vikings were so loud, I am sure they could be heard all through the archipelago.

During the reception in the Great Hall, everyone was loud and happy. I am fairly certain I ate more than I should have. People danced and sang and just had fun. This wedding could very well be the most fun many of us had had in a long time. Zephyr was able to dance with all her Uncles and most of her cousins. She and Mila danced too. I laughed remembering how I danced with Heather.

Nuffink made sure that the only man, besides Fishlegs, who danced with Ragnhild was himself.

Valka and Gobber joked around and appeared to have a good time. I was really glad they had that friendship.

"So, milady, would you like to dance with me?" Hiccup walked over and held out his hand.

"I would love to," I giggled and took his hand.

He twirled me around the floor. He was actually a very good dancer for a viking with only one leg.

When 'For the Dancing and the Dreaming' started playing, I could tell it hit a soft spot in him. That song had special meaning to the Haddocks. As he held me in his arms he whispered the lyrics, singing to me softly. I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

I looked around the room at all the dragons and vikings who had come to the celebration. It made my heart full to know that so many people cared for my daughter and her fiance, oh wait it is husband now!

"I wish things could stay like this forever," I sighed, kissing Hiccup's cheek.

He kissed my hair and whispered, "I do too."

* * *

**Hello readers,**

**Only one more chapter and an epilogue! I hope you have enjoyed the ending thus far.**

**Sincerely.**

**EverAfterWritings**


	32. How to Say Goodbye

How to Say Goodbye

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

The wind blew through my hair. It felt amazing.

To my right were Nuffink and Ragnhild on Dawn. Watching them reminded me of the first time I took Astrid for a flight almost forty years ago.

"Woohoo!"

I laughed as Eira and Dusk did barrel rolls and flips through the clouds. Dusk was flying with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, much like Toothless would do.

Buffnut wasn't far behind her, hanging on for dear life as his Snifflehunch, Nosey, tried to follow every scent he caught.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Zephyr on Eclipse. Her eyes were shut and she was smiling. Her husband flew next to her on the Titan Wing Dramillion that had tried to take her. Spike had decided to let it keep its name, Knapper.

"Slowpoke!"

I rolled out of the way as Astrid sped past me. She laughed and glanced over her shoulder and smirked at me. I smiled and shook my head slightly. I sped up to catch up to her. We flew side by side ahead of the others.

When we were out of sight of the others, we slowed a little bit.

Toothless complained a little bit, wanting to keep going, but I wanted to take a moment to enjoy being in the air again with my best friend. It had been so long since the four of us, Astrid, Stormfly, Toothless, and myself, had flown together. It felt good, like it was what we were supposed to be doing. It felt right. Astrid had slowed beside me.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"About how much I have missed this," I said. Toothless purred in agreement.

"I have too," Astrid said, "and you have too, right girl?"

Stormfly squawked and did a small flip, making Astrid laugh.

"I wish y'all could stay, bud," I whispered, leaning forward to pat Toothless's neck. He hummed in the back of his throat as if he was saying he wanted to stay. But according to my dragon, it wasn't safe yet.

"Maybe it'll be safe soon," I muttered to myself. I didn't want to have to spend another twenty-five years without the dragons. I wouldn't. I had a newfound determination to make sure it was safe for them to come back.

I glanced over at Astrid. She was laying on Stormfly's back. I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was.

We'd find a way eventually.

Toothless grumbled deeply. "Okay, bud, we'll land," I said.

Astrid overheard me and sat up. She held on as we both did steep nose dives down below the clouds. I laughed and held my arms up, holding on with my legs. I yelled loudly - pure joy!

Toothless shot a blue blast into the air, signaling the other dragons to land.

We landed in the same clearing we had been at when we said goodbye to the dragons all those years ago.

"Dad, why did we land?" Eira asked, Dusk wagging his tail and grinning beside her.

"It's time for them to go," I said sadly. Everyone's smiles dropped into frowns.

"But they just got here," Nuffink said.

"I know, baby, but we all knew they would have to go back to the Hidden World," my wife responded softly.

Tears formed in my eyes as I watched my friends have to say goodbye to their dragons once again.

The tears fell down my cheeks as my children said goodbye to their new friends. Eira tried to put on a tough face as she turned towards Dusk. The NightLight whimpered softly as my daughter wrapped her arms around the dragon's neck, hugging tightly.

Nuffink looked down and kicked the ground lightly. Dawn nuzzled against him and he laughed sadly. He hugged the dragon. "Just don't forget me, okay?" he said softly. Dawn let out a soft "rawr" and nudged him again.

Zephyr and Eclipse were saying their goodbyes as well. Eclipse sniffed at Zephyr's small baby bump and purred happily. "I know, sweetheart, but don't worry. I am sure you can come visit when I have the baby," Zephyr told her. I watched as Eclipse jumped excitedly. Zephyr laughed and gave the dragon one last pet before all the dragons but Toothless and Stormfly took off into the sky. The Light Fury hovered above us.

Astrid started crying, just as she had the first time we had to say goodbye. Stormfly cawed softly and nuzzled against Astrid. My wife scratched her neck and stepped away. Stormfly took off as well.

Toothless whimpered and looked up at me.

"Hey, bud," I said quietly. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I bent my knees a bit so I could be at eye level with him.

"I'm going to miss you, but we both know you have to go. But Astrid and I are going to make sure you can come back soon," I told him, "I promise, bud."

Toothless pushed his head against my chest and I hugged him.

I stood up and Toothless took off into the sky, the Light Fury flying beside him.

My wife stepped up next to me and slid her hand into mine, resting her head on my shoulder.

"We'll see them again, Hiccup."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier," I responded.

"I don't think we will ever really learn how to say goodbye to them, but we know they will always come back. So is it really goodbye?" Astrid reasoned.

I shook my head. "I guess not," I said.

I looked around at all my friends and their families. My eyes went to Zephyr and Spikelout next, his arm around her shoulders and her hands resting over the baby that was growing inside her. Nuffink and Ragnhild reminded me a lot of me and Astrid. They stood hand in hand, watching as the dragons flew out of sight. Eira, my youngest, was sitting in the grass, watching the dragons like everyone else was. Buffnut sat next to her. I smiled as I watched him pick a wildflower from next to him and hand it to her.

I was happy here. I had amazing friends, wonderful children, a grandchild on the way, and the best wife I could have ever dreamed for. I was happy, and I knew my best friend was happy too. "They'll visit again. It isn't really goodbye," I thought to myself.

Toothless stopped just before he was out of sight and waved his tail.

I smiled and raised my hand to wave back.

"See you later, bud."

* * *

**Hello readers,**

**That's it! The last chapter! I hope you have all enjoyed it. But don't worry! The story isn't over yet! There is still an epilogue. **

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**EverAfterWritings**


	33. Epilogue - How to Say Hello

How to Say Hello - Epilogue

_*Eira's Point of View*_

Buffnut moved his hands from my waist to the back of my neck as I kissed him deeper. We were in the loft above the stable at my house. I moaned softly into the kiss. Buffnut smiled and pulled me closer. Our make-out sessions had been getting pretty heated lately, but I didn't mind one bit, and I know Buffnut didn't mind at all.

We knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, and now my father had even approved us seeing each other. But that was six months ago.

It felt weird that Buffnut and I had gone six months together as a couple and without Nosey and Dusk. I hoped the dragons would be able to return soon. Buffnut had even eventually warmed up to Nosey, even though he had annoyed him at first.

"Buffnut?" I whispered, breaking the kiss to catch my breath.

"Yeah?" my boyfriend panted. His face was flushed and his lips were some-what swollen, which meant mine were as well.

"I don't think my mom and dad would appreciate it if you got me pregnant at fourteen, so we should probably calm down a bit," I said, taking deep breaths every other word or so.

"Yeah, you're right, as always," Buff said. He leaned in and kissed me one more time before laying down in the hay beside me. I glanced to my right and saw the basket of cheese and fresh vegetables I was supposed to be taking to Zephyr.

"Come on," I said, getting up and grabbing the basket.

"Do I have to?" Buff asked.

"Hey, if I have to run an errand for my mom, you are coming down with me," I said. Buffnut rolled his eyes, but I knew he was fine with going. He just loved being dramatic.

We climbed down the ladder back to ground level. We walked hand in hand to Zephyr's house.

I saw my mom run out the front door as we approached.

"Oh thank the gods, Eira," she said as she rushed over to us.

"Is everything okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Baby, I need you to go get your father, grandmother, and Nuffink. Be quick," she instructed.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Zephyr's water broke," my mom said excitedly before running back inside the house.

When my mom was out of sight I glanced over at Buffnut.

"I am going to be an aunt today!" I chuckled happily.

* * *

_*Hiccup's Point of View*_

I sat at my desk, going through a stack of papers that had been sitting in a drawer waiting to be sorted. Gobber's hammer rang soundly in the back. I took a deep breath and sighed. The dragons had left six months ago. I really missed my best friend, and I know everyone else missed their dragons too. My kids had only gotten about three days with their dragons. But with Sylvia out of the way, we were one step closer to making the world a safe place for them again.

The village council had decided to let Eret Jr spend five years in jail and doing community service instead of spending his life in prison because of how much he had helped in capturing Sylvia. Sylvia, on the other hand, was going to be locked up and closely watched for the rest of her life.

I sifted through the papers. There were a few building permits, a couple of trade requests, an invitation to Alvin's birthday party, and a marriage contract. I smiled when I saw the names mentioned in the contract. I wasn't allowed to say anything to anyone, except the girl's father. He and I both had to sign it and then once the boy proposed, the happy couple had to sign it as well. I checked the time on the sundial I had built out my window. I chuckled when I realized the boy would have proposed by now.

These definitely were exciting times in Berk.

In addition to young love and dragon safety, I could be a grandfather any day now. When Spike and Zephyr had announced the pregnancy, they decided to let Spike claim the baby as his. They had Eret Jr agree to give up any parental rights he would have, and he willingly did so. He had told them he wanted the child to have the best life it could have.

So there were only a few of us who knew the truth about the baby, but we were all happy with the arrangement that had been made.

Zeph and I had been discussing names. I wanted her to include Stoick somewhere in the name.

"What if it is a girl?" she laughed.

"I don't know, can't girls be called Stoick?" I asked. My daughter had just laughed and shook her head at me.

To say I was excited to be a grandfather would be an understatement. My mother was over the top excited to be a great grandmother. I knew my dad would have been ecstatic as well. I sighed and looked at the statue of him outside. It was on a hill, looking out over the ocean just outside of town.

"I miss you, dad," I whispered.

"I wish you could be here. You'd be so proud of your grandchildren. I know you would have spoiled them rotten," I laughed. I looked down at my desk and continued, "And they would have loved you. I can just see them when they were little. I can see you with all three of them on your back, laughing and playing. Mom would have been watching and scolding, but she secretly would have enjoyed it. And now you would be a great grandfather, can you believe that? Yeah, I know I am rather young to be a grandfather," I joked, laughing to myself. I sighed and looked back up at the statue. It had that same serious stare. "I'll catch up with you later, dad," I finished and stood up.

Then Eira burst through my doors, Buffnut in tow.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I have to go find Nuffink and mom wants you at Zephyr and Spike's house right now. Do you know where Nuff is?" she asked, her words rushing out of her mouth.

"He is about to propose to Ragnhild on Dragon's Cliff," I said.

"Okay. Grandma is already there and Mom told me to tell you to hurry," she said. She was about to run off again when I grabbed her arm.

"Eira, what is going on? Why the big rush?" I asked.

"Zephyr is in labor."

* * *

_*Nuffink's Point of View*_

My fingers nervously fidgeted with the ring in my pocket. I was waiting at my and Ragnhild's place. The same place we had said goodbye to our dragons. I missed them. It had been six months since they had left. The longest six months of my life. But with Sylvia out of the way and locked up, and Eret Jr finishing his time and about to start community service, there was more time for me to hang out with my friends and my amazing girlfriend.

"Nuffink! I'm sorry I know I am late!" Ragnhild said as she ran up to me.

I laughed and rested my hands at her waist. "Being late is new?" I teased.

She scoffed and lightly hit my chest. "So why did you want me to come out here?" she asked.

"Because I wanted to ask you something," I said nervously.

"Okay… are you okay?" she asked.

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine…" I whispered. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.

"Nuffink, you're scaring me…" she said worriedly.

I quickly took her hands in mine. "No, babe, everything is fine. I am just really nervous," I laughed.

"Why? It's just me. What are you so nervous about?" Ragnhild asked, moving her hand up to brush her thumb across my cheek.

I smiled and turned my head to kiss her palm. "Because, uh... " I said softly. I slowly got down on one knee in front of her.

"Oh my gods, Nuffink…" she muttered. Her hands had gone up to rest on her cheeks.

"Ragnhild, I love you more than anything. You make me feel complete. I am a better person when I am with you. We are a perfect team, a perfect couple," I said, pulling the ring my dad and I had made out of my pocket.

I held it up, letting the gold shimmer in the light. "Will you marry me?" I asked hopefully.

By now Ragnhild was wiping the tears from her face. She nodded her head quickly. "Yes, of course, I'll marry you!" she said enthusiastically.

I beamed up at her as I slid the ring onto her finger. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close and pressing my lips to hers. She kissed me back with so much passion and love it was overwhelming.

"I love you," she whispered against my lips.

"I love you, too," I replied. I took a second to catch my breath before kissing her again.

Everything was perfect. The most intelligent, funny, beautiful woman in all of Berk had just said she would marry me. How had I gotten so lucky?

"Nuffink!"

We both looked up to see Eira running towards us, holding Buffnut's hand. Ever since she had come back from being captured, he had been following her around like a puppy.

"What is it? Is everything okay?" I asked. I could tell from the look on her face, whatever she was going to tell me was urgent.

"It's Zephyr," she said between gasps for air, "her water broke."

* * *

_*Zephyr's Point of View*_

Six months seemed to pass so quickly. But here I was, in the bed Spike and I share every night, in the most intense pain I have ever felt. It used to be that when a woman was giving birth, no men were allowed in the room, but my parents changed that when I was born, and I sure was glad they did. Spike was the only thing helping me right now.

I was sitting at the foot of the bed with my legs spread wide and my knees almost up to my chest. If I wasn't too busy with pushing a baby out of my body I probably would have felt a bit embarrassed by the position. Spike sat behind me, letting me lean back on his chest. My head rested on his shoulder and he was whispering encouraging words in my ear and kissing my cheek and forehead. He had his hands at my thighs, helping by hold my legs in position. I wouldn't be able to do any of this if he wasn't there.

My mom was in the room too, letting me squeeze her hand tight with each contraction. I don't know what it is but there is something about having your mom close by that just makes you feel calmer.

My grandmother, Valka, was at the foot of the bed, watching for the baby and giving me instructions. She had delivered countless babies since she had come back to Berk. She was definitely the best midwife we have ever had.

"Zephyr, the baby is crowning!" my mom said excitedly.

"Uh, what does that mean?" I gasped out between groans of pain.

"It just means we can see its head, darling," Valka explained softly.

"We almost have our baby, love!" Spike whispered excitedly.

A brief smile came to my lips, but it was soon replaced by a scream of pain. Why did the pain only get worse and worse?

"Okay, child, you need to stop pushing, I know it is difficult, but resist until the head is out," Valka instructed.

I was so exhausted that it wasn't too difficult to stop pushing, though the urge was still there.

My body was being pushed to its limit. I didn't know how much more I could handle.

"Zephyr, start pushing again! This is the hardest part, the shoulders need to pass through. But you can do it, sweetheart! Just remember to breathe," Valka instructed.

"It gets harder?!" I yelled. I squeezed my mom's hand so hard I thought I might break it.

I screamed as I pushed again. My breaths came in quick short gasps.

"You're so amazing, Zeph! It's almost here!" He said excitedly.

While my husband was excited, I was in agony. I felt like my body was being ripped apart.

I cried and screamed as I continued to push for what felt like forever.

"Please tell me I am almost done?" I groaned.

"Zephyr, just a few more big pushes and you will have your baby in your arms," grandma said excitedly.

"That's it, baby, you're almost there!" My mom encouraged.

I felt Spike's grip on my legs tighten slightly. I tucked my chin down to my chest as I pushed as hard as I could.

"You're doing great, Zephyr!" Spikelout said.

"Spike, I love you, but if you tell me that one more time I am going to throw you into the Thorston's boar pit!" I yelled.

My mom laughed a bit. "That's my girl," she said softly.

"Okay, one more push!" Valka announced.

I screamed as I pushed one last time, using up what little energy I had left. Then the pain went away. I mean, it was still there, but it was much less.

"Zephyr…" my husband whispered. I looked up at his face and saw him staring at something with an amazed expression. That's when I heard it, a baby's cry.

I looked down to the foot of the bed and there was my grandmother, holding up my baby so I could see. I started to cry I was so happy.

"It's a boy!" Valka said happily, tears in her eyes as well.

I held my arms out and my grandmother placed the baby in my arms. This feeling of love washed over me. I looked into his eyes and I knew I would do anything for this little life I had created. He had green eyes like my dad and myself. He had little tufts of bright red hair on the top of his head.

"Do you have a name?" my mom asked.

I held the baby close to me, Spike's arms reaching around me to support my hands as I held our baby. I looked up at Spike and he nodded.

"We will tell you when the whole family is here," I said.

"Okay, well let's get you two cleaned up," Valka said. My mom took the baby over to the wash basin and started cleaning him up while Valka helped me. I was sore and feeling a little self-conscious, but I knew my grandmother had done this dozens of times. They helped me move back to the head of the bed and propped some pillows behind me. My mom came back with my son and handed him to me. My husband sat beside me, never taking his eyes off our baby.

"Hi, baby," I whispered, kissing his forehead softly. Spike let him wrap a tiny fist around his much larger finger.

He was perfect.

* * *

_*Astrid's Point of View*_

I have a grandson! I am a grandmother! I am officially old.

But the baby was absolutely perfect. As soon as both mother and son were cleaned up and ready for visitors, I went to the living room. Eira, Buffnut, Nuffink, Ragnhild, Mila, Gobber, and Hiccup were all waiting there.

I smiled from ear to ear and announced, "It's a boy!"

Everyone cheered and jumped up. They were asking so many questions.

"Hold on, everyone will get to see, but right now Zeph only wants Eira, Nuffink, Hiccup, and myself," I explained. The others seemed to understand and went to sit down. I noticed the ring on Ragnhild's finger and made a mental note to ask Nuffink all about it later.

I held my hand out to my husband and he took it in his. We all walked upstairs together to the bedroom. We slowly walked in. Zephyr looked up and smiled at us.

"Look, baby. That is your Auntie Eira, Uncle Nuffink, and grandma and grandpa," she said softly. Eira squealed excitedly and rushed over to see. Nuffink followed behind Eira but in more of a shy manner. Hiccup and I stood at the foot of the bed.

"So, can we hear the name now?" I asked.

Spike smiled and asked, "Do you want to tell them, babe?"

Zephyr nodded. "Guys," she said, "meet Stoick Hagen Jorgenson."

Hiccup chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand when he heard his father's name.

"That's perfect, Zeph," he said, his voice cracking.

"It is perfect. He even looks like Stoick," I agreed.

"Hi, Stoick. We are going to have so much fun when you are a little older. I will teach you how to fight and hunt and we can play games. I already love you so much," Eira said, gently touching the tiny baby's cheek.

"Eira, you can't teach a baby to fight. I am going to teach him how to fish," Nuffink said, pushing his way past Eira and holding one of Stoick's tiny hands.

Zephyr smiled and leaned her head on Spikelout's shoulder.

"They are all grown up, Hiccup," I whispered.

He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. He kissed my temple gently.

"Yeah, how'd that happen?" he chuckled. I sighed and leaned into him.

Our family was growing. I thought back through all that had happened in just a few short months. We had all learned so much. I thought back to working on Zephyr's wedding gown. I smiled at the memory. It felt so far away now, but it hadn't even been a year.

Stoick started to cry softly.

"Um…" Zephyr said softly. I could tell she was unsure of what to do.

"Want me to help?" Hiccup asked. Zephyr nodded.

My husband stepped forward and took the baby in his arms, rocking him gently.

"There you go, Stoick. Now, you can't be too loud right now. Your mommy, who also happens to be my daughter, needs some rest. You were a lot of work," he whispered.

Zephyr slid her hand into Spike's as we all watched grandfather and grandson.

"But even though you were a lot of work, we all love you so very much. You have a pretty amazing family. They've gotten me into trouble, but they've gotten me out of trouble countless times as well. I know there are a bunch of us and it can seem intimidating or scary to somebody as small as you, but give us a chance. I know you'll love us too," Hiccup continued. Stoick cooed in his arms, reaching a tiny hand up to play with his graying beard.

If I had to pick one word to describe how I felt at that moment, I would have to say 'content.' A second word would be 'joy.' And if I was allowed a third I'd say 'hope.' This baby was a new beginning, a new spark of hope in our lives, a new hello.

* * *

**Hello readers,**

**Well, that is it! The end of "How To Say Goodbye." I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**My next story is "Once a Berserker, Always a Berserker." But I am also contemplating a sequel for this story. We will see. **

**I have so enjoyed this story and digging deeper into each character. Thank you for leaving all of your kind and encouraging reviews! This story is only possible because of the support from all of you!**

**Thank you and see you soon,**

**EverAfterWritings**


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